Policymakers playing ‘game of chicken' with N.H. budget
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Brown said such vetoes are rare, but not unheard of in New Hampshire. Ayotte's predecessor and close ally, Republican former governor Chris Sununu, vetoed the budget in 2019, when Democrats controlled the Legislature. Sununu signed a revised version into law three months later. (A short-term continuing resolution funded government operations in the interim.)
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Unlike her predecessor, Ayotte would be vetoing a budget finalized by lawmakers from her own party. It's a moment that Brown said could come to define Ayotte's tenure as governor.
'If she is going to follow 'the Sununu path,' which she frequently talks about, that involves clashing with the Legislature sometimes,' Brown said. 'That involves clashing with President Trump sometimes. It does not involve just a straight party line on every vote.'
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Meanwhile, the Democratic minority leaders in the House and Senate are citing the present budget impasse as evidence that Republicans are fumbling their trifecta and failing to govern effectively.
'They had one job: pass a budget that meets the needs of Granite Staters,' Representative Alexis Simpson and Senator Rebecca Perkins Kwoka said in a joint statement Tuesday. 'Instead, we're staring down chaos and dysfunction of their own making.' Read more at Globe.com/NH
The top objection that Ayotte cited about the Legislature's budget pertains to pensions for some police, firefighters, and corrections officers whose retirement benefits were reduced in 2011 amid a budget crunch. Having touted a proposal to restore much of those benefits, Ayotte criticized a recent amendment, telling WMUR late last week that lawmakers had struck '
On Monday, Ayotte said during
On Tuesday, Senate President Sharon Carson went on the same radio show to
'I have no idea what she is trying to do. I really don't,' Carson said of Ayotte. 'She is threatening the 1.4 million people in the state of New Hampshire for the benefit of 1,550 people.'
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Ayotte announced Tuesday she would ask the five-member Executive Council on Wednesday (i.e., today) to approve
'We must ensure certainty for our citizens and continuity for our tourism industry during this critical revenue period,' Ayotte said in a statement, 'and we must continue to work together through the summer to deliver for all of New Hampshire.'
When lawmakers vote Thursday on the two pieces of legislation that comprise the budget, there won't be an opportunity for floor amendments, assuming the Legislature's rules remain the same. If either bill fails to pass either chamber or the governor issues a veto, then the state would need some sort of short-term spending authority, according to
This story first appeared in Globe NH | Morning Report, our free newsletter focused on the news you need to know about New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles from other places. If you'd like to receive it via e-mail Monday through Friday,
Steven Porter can be reached at
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