The Senate, to its eternal credit, has taken the first step toward fiscal responsibility. It is now up to the House of Representatives to complete the task of imposing spending controls on this bankrupt government.
The government must have a new operating budget.
In disapproving the budget bill, the governor made arguments about whether the Legislature overstepped its bounds by requiring legislative approval of new hires. The governor also noted that federal grant terms prevent the executive branch from complying with the Legislature’s allocations of funds.
Most significant, however, was his chief complaint — that the Legislature did not include any austerity measures, claiming he is left with three unpleasant options, including layoffs, which he rejects outright.
The Legislature presented the governor with a budget based on lower revenue projections with his organizational and employment prerogatives completely intact. The chief executive pleads poverty while hiring nonessential new employees, and complains that the Legislature hasn’t implemented an austerity plan. But nothing prohibits the governor from implementing such a plan. What he is grumbling about is that his ability to hire indiscriminately has been called into question.
It all boils down to control, and the governor doesn’t want any.
In his veto message, the governor noted that the recent Northwest Airlines announcement will reduce government revenues even further, and warns that if nothing is done, the government must shut down — employees will have payless paydays or departments will begin laying off employees.
But the governor can prevent these awful options by implementing a reasonable austerity plan. He should, first of all, stop hiring more nonessential employees. But he won’t do that. This is an election year and the governor, against all reason, appears intent to seek another term. He must hire more voters. The Legislature must stop him.
Faced with a choice of doing something and doing nothing about the government’s worsening financial condition, the governor has chosen to…sue the feds. On his first day in office he knew that government revenues were declining. He did nothing. Provided with new information that government revenues are declining further, he still opts for nothing. He doesn’t want the Legislature sticking its nose in his hiring practices. He will do nothing to change the election year, hiring-binge tradition of an unpopular governor seeking reelection.
What the governor wants is to see the Legislature tie its hands when it comes to government cuts. The governor demands credit for hiring but wants no responsibility for firing. He was given a budget to make cuts based on his operational priorities, but he refuses to do so.
Nothing prevents the governor from adopting a reasonable hiring policy. Nothing prevents him from making departmental cuts. His Homeland Security Office is brimming with highly paid bodies and little or no work. The Department of Public Works, which probably hasn’t completed five capital improvement projects in five years, continues to hire employees. The Department of Public Lands is now the dumping ground of former lawmakers who need jobs. The list goes on.
The governor must comply with the priorities set by the new budget based on his own revised revenue projections. He vetoed it. The Senate has already voted for an override. The House has no excuses not to.
On federalization
THE administration has no interest whatsoever to know the details of the coming implementation of the federalization law. As far as the governor is concerned, it’s all gloom and doom.
But the public has to know more about these sweeping changes. Businesses have to know what they will be getting into starting on June 1.
What about CNMI lawmakers? They have adopted several resolutions about the issue and spoke about it countless times, but have they done their homework? Do they know what they’re talking about?
The public is asking a lot of questions even as rumors continue to circulate in the community.
The people need reliable and factual information about this new law, and they’re counting on the CNMI’s more sensible leaders to provide it.
