Pawlenty stands strong. Republicans stand with him (so far).
duluthnewstribune.com
Lawmakers can't agree on a budget? Pawlenty will do it himself
ST. PAUL — Gov. Tim Pawlenty promised Thursday to bring Minnesota’s deficit-ridden budget back into balance on his own if the session ends Monday without an accord, using line-item vetoes and executive powers to shave billions in spending.
ST. PAUL — Gov. Tim Pawlenty promised Thursday to bring Minnesota’s deficit-ridden budget back into balance on his own if the session ends Monday without an accord, using line-item vetoes and executive powers to shave billions in spending.
“There will be no special session. There will be no shutdown,” Pawlenty said at a news conference flanked by fellow Republicans, who vowed to uphold any vetoes.
And late Thursday, he began making good on his word, issuing seven line-item vetoes.
The biggest would eliminate the General Assistance Medical Care program for childless adults starting in July 2010, reducing state spending by $381 million. The money was part of a spending bill for health and welfare programs.
Pawlenty also nixed six smaller items in an economic development bill, ranging from $1.2 million to bring film productions to the state to $280,000 to help Minnesota Public Radio convert its signal to digital.
Pawlenty held out the possibility of a negotiated agreement, but said he was prepared to use vetoes, payment suspensions and so-called unallotment to cut the two-year budget to $31 billion. That’s about
$3 billion smaller than the slate of spending bills sent to him.
The move infuriated Democrats who run the Legislature. House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher of Minneapolis dubbed Pawlenty “Governor Go It Alone.” Pawlenty shot back that without the step Kelliher would be “Speaker Special Session.”
“There will be no public hearings. There will be no public input. There will just be a governor alone with unelected people whispering in his ear of what to cut and what not to cut,” Kelliher said, calling it “bullying.”
In a tense evening meeting, Kelliher told Commi-ssioner Tom Hanson of Minnesota Management and Budget that Minnesotans deserve to know what Pawlenty will cut. Hanson said the exact cuts still are being considered and “in the days to come we can share more detail.”
Pawlenty said he will trim the budget two ways:
# Line-item vetoes in budget bills lawmakers already have sent to him. That authority is limited to just some budget items.
# After the partial vetoes, he will unallot. That is a legal way to unilaterally reduce spending to match revenues, a procedure designed to balance a budget in changing economic times.
Consequences could be severe
Pawlenty refused to tell reporters precisely what he will cut, but did say local aid payments will be cut or delayed. The governor promised to give local governments advance notice before the cuts become effective July 1.
Some of the first cuts would come in a health-care funding bill. Federal rules do not allow the state to cut eligibility for health programs.
Pawlenty said he will sign every budget bill legislators passed, although he will cut what he can with his line-item veto power. Then he will take a new look at the budget and use his unallotment power to make further cuts to $31 billion “and change,” he said.
On a public works bill, Pawlenty promises “numerous line-item vetoes,” but he would not be specific. However, Pawlenty spoke highly of flood prevention measures including in the bill, indicating that money may be safe from cuts.
Wadena Mayor Wayne Wolden sent a letter to all 201 legislators urging them to strike a deal to head off the chance Pawlenty would go after aid to local governments. Wolden is president of the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities, which has 78 members.
“The real losers in this failure to compromise are property taxpayers and Minnesota families who depend on critical services like police and fire protection,” Wolden said after Pawlenty’s announcement.
Minnesota faces a projected shortfall of $4.6 billion over the next two years, a problem that would be worse if not for federal stimulus money. |
