By Nazario Rodriguez Jr.
Horizon news staff

Saying that the process in deliberating the annual national budget was done in a very democratic manner, Senate Floor Leader Alan Seid expressed elation over its outcome and stressed that the delay is not the fault on anybody else.
“We believe that the budget process is based on fundamental values because we all want to protect the integrity of the budget,” quipped Seid as he summed-up the result of the compromised agreement between the lawmakers and the president.
Seid expressed elation on several new items into the $57.7 million annual national budget, which was approved and signed by President Remengesau last Wednesday after over three months delay. (See separate story on the budget)
“I happy with the budget finally signed and not going through the continuing resolution anymore. For the time being we resolved some of our differences on many issues,” Seid said.
First was the issue regarding the closure of the consular office in Guam and Saipan, which resulted to a compromise that those offices may not be closed this year but there will be no future appropriations after Sept. 2007.
Seid said that the president agreed that 100 percent of the budget could now be used and that the president can only do re-programming within the Executive Branch.
Other hot items include the issue on pension plan, state borrowing and the hiring of an independent legal counsel to investigate what went wrong with Pacific Savings Bank.