BATON ROUGE - Gov. John Bel Edwards used his line item veto powers on Thursday to strike what he called "painful" cuts from the budget given to him by the state legislature.

In his letter to the leaders of the House and Senate, Edwards said he signed "House Bill 1" -- the budget plan -- with a veto of five items therein.

In a message posted to social media, Edwards explained: Today I used my line item veto authority to prevent an unnecessary, painful $100 million budget cut from the @LADeptHealth. It would’ve resulted in $400 to $700 million in cuts when federal matching funds were accounted for.

The Republican-dominated Legislature had allocated a chunk of money to pay down state retirement debt, but Edwards redirected a portion of it to increase funding for early childhood education and restore a proposed $100 million increase to the Louisiana Department of Health.

Edwards’ vetoes may not stand. Lawmakers could attempt to override him.

Although there have only been two veto sessions since 1974, it seems increasingly realistic this year — especially as Edwards said he intends to block a package of anti-LGBTQ bills. Republicans said they would likely return to the Capitol if Edwards follows through on his promise, but it’s still unknown whether legislators would also discuss the budget vetoes.

Edwards is in the final months of his second term as governor. Five major Republican candidates, one Democrat and an independent are jockeying to succeed him.