The governor has until April 1 to submit his budget proposal while the Legislature has until Oct. 1 to pass a balanced budget.
Last year, the governor submitted his proposal on time but the Legislature failed to meet the deadline, causing an unprecedented partial government shutdown.
Tenorio said the governor has no choice but to start laying off government employees.
“We don’t have enough money now. And if we incurred a $6 million deficit in the first quarter alone, it’s going to be replicated in the second quarter — probably another $6 million deficit, then, pretty soon the government will not have any more money. We may have to shut down the government,” Tenorio added.
He said he “does not necessarily” agree with the continued hiring of full-time employees amid the government’s dwindling financial resources.
He noted, however, that “we need additional employees at the hospital.”
According to Tenorio, the governor has to decide where the employees are actually needed — perhaps in critical agencies like Public Health and Public Safety.
The bottom-line, the former governor said, is to minimize the hiring of new employees.
Tenorio said he still believes that the legalization of a casino on Saipan will improve the government’s finances and prevent layoffs.
The Saipan casino bill remains pending in the Senate, which rejected a similar measure last September.
