Governor Deval Patrick will announce cuts to the State budget today at 5:00 p.m., with word filtering out that as much as $800 million may be on the chopping block. It appears that the new revenue figures that Patrick has ordered will show a drop of as much as $1.5 billion, forcing deep cuts. From the Boston Herald:

This is not about, you know, cutting so-called ‘fat.’ This is going to cut muscle because the scale of the issue requires that,” Patrick said, adding he hopes to spare local aid and some state education funding.

“We’re doing our level best not to go at either local aid or Chapter 70 funding. And so far, I think we will be able to do that or at least not touch it in a significant way.”

The $1.5 billion revenue shortfall means Patrick should be slashing between $600 million and $800 million, said fiscal watchdog Michael Widmer, who expected Patrick to cut via layoffs, earmarks and possibly voluntary furloughs.

Patrick will likely cut away all of the so called “local earmarks” included in the budget, although there is some question about his authority in some cases absent a legislative grant of expanded 9-c power.