The budget stalemate in Augusta continues as a special committee set up to broker a compromise was still unable to reach an agreement as of Thursday evening.
House Speaker Sara Gideon said the stalemate increases the possibility of a government shutdown.
“Although all of us hoped that we could have a committee of conference that would result in a committee report sent to both chambers for a budget that could be enacted by our deadline tomorrow to avoid a state shutdown, we are not anywhere near that place today,” she said.
Gideon placed the blame squarely on the House Republican caucus, who she said has not engaged in the compromise effort. She said Senate Republicans and both Democratic caucuses had negotiated in good faith, but not the House GOP.
“My conversations with the minority leader as recently as an hour or two ago indicate that the House Republican caucus is in a completely different place than the rest of us — at $50 million for education funding,” she said.
Gideon was referring to House minority leader Ken Fredette, who she said was unwilling to increase education funding. Fredette of Newport bristled at the criticism, saying his caucus stood with Gov. Paul LePage, who had been shut out of the negotiations.
Fredette said there’s nothing preventing Gideon and Republican Senate President Michael Thibodeau from running their own proposal.
“They can vote out a budget. We’re not stopping them from voting out a budget. I guess I don’t understand the complexity here,” he said.
Gideon said Fredette’s caucus will be needed to reach a two-thirds vote to pass the budget as an emergency, and potentially override a veto by LePage. Fredette suggested that it’s Gideon who may not have the votes in her caucus to achieve that threshold.
“Where’s Sara Gideon’s caucus on that budget? How about that question? Has Sara Gideon got 75 members ready to vote on this budget? Is she going to lose 10 people, is she going to lose 20 people or 30 people?” he said.
The conference committee is expected to continue negotiating. The Legislature must pass a budget before June 30 to avoid a government shutdown.
