Republicans may have minority status in the Vermont House of Representatives, but they showed Tuesday they鈥檙e still a force to be reckoned with.
In a party-line vote, the GOP caucus successfully thwarted Democrats鈥� attempt to override Gov. Phil Scott鈥檚 veto of the state budget.
If elected officials can鈥檛 reach a budget deal before the end of this month, Vermont could face an unprecedented government shutdown.
On Tuesday afternoon, shortly after House Republicans voted to sustain Scott鈥檚 budget veto, Senate President Pro Tem Tim Ashe talked with colleagues on the Senate floor to contemplate their next steps.
鈥淲ell, we鈥檙e in a pretty extraordinary situation,鈥� Ashe said.
Extraordinary, Ashe said, because Vermont now finds itself 11 days from the end of the fiscal year with no budget deal in sight. And also because the budget that was , and , had earlier in the year won broad tri-partisan approval in both chambers of the Vermont Legislature.
鈥淭oday, a number of House Republicans voted against a bill they had already voted for, the contents of which they do not disagree with at all, merely to fall in lockstep with the political office of the governor,鈥� Ashe said.
"We do not want a government shutdown. We are willing to work with the majority, work with the governor, to keep government open. But we are not willing to pass a default tax increase in Vermonters." 鈥� House Minority Leader Don Turner
House Minority Leader Don Turner said it鈥檚 true that many of his Republican colleagues previously supported the spending plan.
鈥淲e still do,鈥� Turner said Tuesday.
Turner said it鈥檚 the increase in statewide property tax rates that will come about as a result of that budget that Republicans can鈥檛 abide.
And until and unless Democrats agree to use $34 million in one-time money to keep rates flat next year, as Scott has called for, Turner said his caucus will continue to withhold support for the budget.
鈥淲e do not want a government shutdown. We are willing to work with the majority, work with the governor, to keep government open,鈥� Turner said. 鈥淏ut we are not willing to pass a default tax increase in Vermonters.鈥�
The stakes in this game of political brinksmanship are rising quickly. If elected officials can鈥檛 get a budget in place before July 1, the state could .
In a press conference after the veto override vote, Burlington Rep. Kurt Wright said it is time for Democrats and the governor to negotiate a solution.
鈥淲e鈥檝e let the governor鈥檚 office know that as well, that we expect there to be compromise on both sides,鈥� Wright said.
Turner jumped in after Wright said those words to add an important caveat: 鈥渨ith the exception of raising taxes. We鈥檙e not going to raise taxes.鈥�
And therein lies the problem right now: Scott and Republican lawmakers say they won鈥檛 support any budget that results in a property tax increase. And Ashe and other Democrats say using one-time money to buy down tax rates is a fiscally reckless political gimmick.
鈥淎nd so I don鈥檛 have a clear answer about what鈥檚 next,鈥� Ashe said.
Ashe said his anxiety is heightened by the fact that the Scott administration doesn鈥檛 appear to have a clear plan in place for what happens if the government does shut down.
鈥淭his is not a small issue. This would be a massive problem for the state. And frankly, the precedent it would set for the future is quite disturbing,鈥� Ashe said.
Ashe and House Speaker Mitzi Johnson said they鈥檒l have a new budget to the governor鈥檚 desk before the fiscal year expires. Whether he鈥檚 willing to sign it this time around remains to be seen.
