(AP) -- Missouri officials say there should not be immediate problems if debate about raising the federal borrowing limit causes a temporary halt to some federal payments to the state.
State Budget Director Linda Luebbering says Missouri would have some cushion though it is unclear for how long. Luebbering says many state programs likely would not be affected.
However, she says there is the potential for some later problems because the state cannot fill in for the federal funds over the long term.
Missouri's budget for the 2012 fiscal year that started this month is about $23 billion. It includes around $7 billion in federal money.
Congress is debating proposals to raise the federal borrowing limit before a Tuesday deadline.
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