Update to No Surprise: Governor Hobbs Vetoes the Republican Only Budget.
The MAGA Fascists’ political stunt of a do-nothing “skinny budget,” i.e., last year’s fiscal year budget 2022-23, passed by Republicans only and vetoed by Gov. Hobbs, is not over.
While the media reports that “Republican lawmakers contacted Gov. Katie Hobbs on Tuesday to open up talks about a budget that could reach a bipartisan consensus,” Hobbs and GOP leaders trade notes on budget battle, the truth is that the MAGA Fascists have no interest in negotiating in good faith with the governor on the state budget.
Resolution cuts governor out of budget processhttps://t.co/az7lOrkchI@CamrynSanchezAZ
— AZ Capitol Times (@AzCapitolTimes) March 3, 2023
(Article is subscriber content behind a paywall.)
This is unconstitutional and violates separation of powers – the legislature is trying to legislate away the constitutional plenary powers of the governor over the state budget, not just her plenary power of the veto.
With this act, the extremist MAGA Fascists are asserting that “We don’t need no stinking governor, WE are the sole source of power in this state, and WE will decide – you shall OBEY!”
This is a new extension of the far-right Independent State Legislature Theory, which is total bullshit and not supported in law, history or precedent. Gov. Hobbs was elected statewide by a vote of all the voters. Each legislator was elected only by the voters of their gerrymandered legislative district. Governor Hobbs has a legitimate claim to a voter mandate. Individual state legislators do not.
This is GQP authoritarianism writ large, a “soft coup” if you will. This is an outrageous assault on the Arizona Constitution by MAGA Fascist extremists and cannot be allowed to stand.
Governor Hobbs’ office should immediately file a legal challenge this unconstitutional usurpation of her gubernatorial plenary powers by an out-of-control extremist MAGA Fascist legislature.
We are headed for a constitutional crisis on June 30, the deadline for a state budget to be approved by the legislature and signed by the governor. The MAGA Fascists have made it clear that they intend to sabotage the administration of Gov. Katie Hobbs at every turn. This is their only motivation and goal.
Republicans are not entitled to any presumption of good faith from the media. This state has a constitutional crisis, a war on democracy being waged by extremist MAGA Fascists in the state legislature, and this is how it should accurately be reported.
This is not your father’s Republican Party. It’s time for the media to stop pretending otherwise.
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