As former vice president Joe Biden is fond of saying, “show me your budget and I’ll tell you what you value.” These words ring true in any budget debate – budgets demonstrate our priorities far better than words could ever express. But over the last few weeks, it’s been difficult to see what Gov. Chris Sununu and his Republican legislative allies value given the unprecedented failure of the Republican governor and Republican House to produce a budget.
The Senate must now kick-start the process by starting with Gov. Sununu’s original budget proposal, which was lacking in many ways, including drastically underfunding mental health and completely failing to deal with our mental health crisis.
It is important to remember that the budget failed in the House because two factions of the Republican Party couldn’t find common ground. By most accounts, Gov. Sununu did try to pass a budget. However, just like when he went to the House Republican caucus to try to sell his so-called right-to-work proposal – where he famously told Republicans “you are either with us or against us; you are either a Republican or a Democrat” – the tactic predictably backfired. Gov. Sununu was, once again, unable to bring even his own party together, never mind reach across party lines to find a compromise.
One group of House Republicans – associated with Speaker Shawn Jasper – totally reworked the governor’s budget (reducing revenue projections, cutting spending and removing kindergarten). The other group is the so-called Freedom Caucus, inspired by the congressional renegades that doomed President Donald Trump’s health care repeal, who wanted still deeper cuts. But both agreed (as did the House Democrats) that the governor’s budget had serious short-comings.
There is no doubt that the Senate will revise Gov. Sununu’s budget, but the bigger question is: which direction will the Senate Republicans go? Will they bend to the demands of the renegade House Freedom Caucus and recklessly slash essential programs to justify ideological cuts? Or will they work with Democrats and build a bipartisan budget that is fiscally responsible and works for all Granite Staters, not simply the wealthy elite?
Senate Democrats are ready to get to work and find that common ground. We’ve done it before, in 2013, when we passed a unanimous budget and again in 2015, when Democrats swallowed hard to accept the Republicans’ rigid demand for even more tax cuts for the wealthiest among us, in return for additional investments in our workforce and in our fight against the opioid epidemic, among other things.
Let me be clear though: We won’t support additional sweetheart tax cuts for the rich – they’re doing just fine. We have a record number of millionaires, but our middle class is shrinking, making it harder for working families to make ends meet and expanding the opportunity gap for our children. New Hampshire spends less than our neighbors, consistently ranking near the bottom of per capita spending in the entire country. And it shows, especially around investments in mental health, substance misuse, education, child safety, infrastructure and in so many other areas.
New Hampshire has a strong economy and high quality of life, but we are one of the fastest aging states. We need to attract and keep young people to ensure a vibrant workforce and livable communities, while ensuring our seniors can live comfortably and affordably. Young families want strong schools, livable communities, good paying jobs and progressive policies that welcome diversity. And they, along with most of our constituents, want Democrats and Republicans to blend our differences and find common ground.
If the Republicans follow the Donald Trump model of reckless words and dangerous deeds, compromise will be impossible. New Hampshire should not aspire to become a miniature version of Washington, D.C., where partisan bickering and dysfunction reign.
Senate Republicans and Gov. Sununu have a clear choice: work with Democrats to find consensus and expand opportunity for all or cave to the far right of their party and special interests to pass a partisan budget that will make it harder for our working families to earn a living and harder to make ends meet.
(Sen. Jeff Woodburn of Whitefield is the Senate Democratic leader and represents the North Country in the N.H. Senate.)