Chief
08-05-2008, 07:03 AM
http://politickerwa.com/bryanbissell/1775/rossi-continues-hit-gregoire-budget
By Bryan Bissell
Republican gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi continued to hit Governor Chris Gregoire on the state's budget deficit today, releasing a statement detailing some of the things he would do as governor to begin decreasing the state's budget.
The statement coincided with Gov. Gregoire's memo to state agency directors, boards and commissions calling for agencies to cut hiring, fuel and travel costs in an effort to begin to keep the budget in check.
Rossi suggested that it was too little and too late, and called for further reductions out of the governor's office, all things that he himself would do. Read the full statement below.
"I'm glad that Governor Gregoire has started to recognize the budget crisis she's created. She had to know that by increasing spending 33 percent in her first term she was heading the state toward a budget deficit. Unfortunately, her announcement today does not go far enough.
"Dealing with the incumbent's $2.7 billion budget deficit will require a lot of effort and belt tightening across state government. In the last four years the expansion of government has started at the top. As Governor, I will see to it that cutting waste starts at the top. I will reduce the size of the governor's office budget, which has nearly doubled over the last four years.
"In addition to a hiring freeze, we should also freeze salary increases for politically appointed state employees. Further, Governor Gregoire should suspend salary negotiations with state employee groups over pay increases until we know the full extent of our deficit next year.
"Other governors around the country began tightening their state budgets months ago. In January, I called on the incumbent to use her supplemental budget to reduce rather than increase the total spending for the biennium. But instead, she passed a supplemental budget that increased spending by an additional $291 million."
By Bryan Bissell
Republican gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi continued to hit Governor Chris Gregoire on the state's budget deficit today, releasing a statement detailing some of the things he would do as governor to begin decreasing the state's budget.
The statement coincided with Gov. Gregoire's memo to state agency directors, boards and commissions calling for agencies to cut hiring, fuel and travel costs in an effort to begin to keep the budget in check.
Rossi suggested that it was too little and too late, and called for further reductions out of the governor's office, all things that he himself would do. Read the full statement below.
"I'm glad that Governor Gregoire has started to recognize the budget crisis she's created. She had to know that by increasing spending 33 percent in her first term she was heading the state toward a budget deficit. Unfortunately, her announcement today does not go far enough.
"Dealing with the incumbent's $2.7 billion budget deficit will require a lot of effort and belt tightening across state government. In the last four years the expansion of government has started at the top. As Governor, I will see to it that cutting waste starts at the top. I will reduce the size of the governor's office budget, which has nearly doubled over the last four years.
"In addition to a hiring freeze, we should also freeze salary increases for politically appointed state employees. Further, Governor Gregoire should suspend salary negotiations with state employee groups over pay increases until we know the full extent of our deficit next year.
"Other governors around the country began tightening their state budgets months ago. In January, I called on the incumbent to use her supplemental budget to reduce rather than increase the total spending for the biennium. But instead, she passed a supplemental budget that increased spending by an additional $291 million."