BATON ROUGE - Gov. John Bel Edwards has vetoed a $28 billion-plus budget that would slash education, social services and public safety spending next year to account for expiring temporary taxes.
 
The Democratic governor says the cuts would devastate services. Instead, he wants lawmakers to craft a new spending plan as they consider taxes in the special session starting Tuesday.
 
Edwards announced his decision Friday, shortly after lawmakers had adjourned their regular session and left for a long weekend.
 
The budget was passed on the strength of Republican support, with Democrats largely in opposition.
 
Even those who backed the cuts-heavy document said they didn't want the reductions enacted. They said the proposal demonstrated the need to fill gaps by replacing some of the expiring taxes.
 
The new budget year starts July 1.