Chafee: Raimondo “Clueless” to Magnitude of Revenue Shortfall
Thursday, May 11, 2017
Former Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee is calling Governor Gina Raimondo "clueless" for the most recent revenue estimating numbers announced Wednesday, which are close to $100 million off -- and pointed to his track record of surplusses while in office.
"The big shocker is that it is a surprise," said Chafee of the state's revenue collapse. "Richard Licht always bravely and accurately predicted early in the calendar year as we prepared our budget, what the May Revenue Estimating Conference numbers would be."
"Why did Governor Raimondo waste the Democratic Governors Association valuable money on TV ads for the free tuition proposal with this looming iceberg about to sink the budget? The Governor was clueless on the magnitude of the UHIP problems and unbelievably clueless about what was happening to the revenue and expenditure columns in her administration," said Chafee. "Again, shocking that she wasn't aware that there were problems."
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTRaimondo issued a statement on Wednesday said, “Across the nation, President Trump’s policies have created a lot of uncertainty for businesses and state fiscal officers. At least two-thirds of states, including our neighbors in Massachusetts and Connecticut, have seen revenues fall short of projections as individuals and businesses look to Washington for a signal of what’s to come. The General Assembly has some tough choices ahead of them, and Governor Raimondo’s ready to roll up her sleeves and work with them to pass a balanced budget that protects the progress we’ve made in recent years to strengthen our economy and invest in job training and workforce development.”
Also on Wednesday night, Speaker of the House Nick Mattiello issued a very tough statement pointed directly at the Raimondo administration:
“I can understand that certain economic projections have been revised to reflect lower growth, but it is frustrating to me that a lot of the budget problems are due to not achieving budget savings or revenue initiatives the Administration proposed last year. State government must be managed better so that it works more cost effectively for the taxpayers. My budget priorities have not changed. We will continue our diligence and make sure we cover this gap. We will look at everything.”
Pointing to Track Record
"The shock is that revenues are running $60.1M behind expectations for the current budget year," said Chafee. "Here are the surpluses from my years:
FY 2011 $64.2M
FY 2012 $115.2M
FY 2013 $104.1M
FY 2014 $68.0M
"We ran a tight fiscal ship!" added Chafee.
Related Articles
- Chafee: Raimondo “Clueless” to Magnitude of Revenue Shortfall
- Chafee Created Twice as Many RI Jobs in His Last 2 Years Than Raimondo in Her First 2 Years
- Chafee Responds to 38 Studios’ Curt Schilling’s Claims
- EDITORIAL: Kudos to Governor Chafee, Now It’s Raimondo’s Turn
- Supreme Court Strikes Down Projo’s Effort to Gain Access to Caleb Chafee’s Records
- Raimondo, Chafee and Mattiello All on GoLocal LIVE - See the Schedule
- Chafee Says $40M for Wexford is the Wrong Priority, RI Commerce Votes for Funding
- Chafee Steps Up Criticism of Raimondo’s Economic Development Policies
- Chafee Calls Out Raimondo Administration for “Candy Store” Economic Development Strategy
- Seven Reasons Why This Was Raimondo’s Most Complicated Week
- Arlene Violet on 38 Studios, Mob Informants, Governor Raimondo, and More
- Robert Whitcomb: Raimondo’s No-Bid Contract, Gov. Baker’s MBTA, and Spring
- Riley: Politics and Pensions - Has Raimondo Given Up?
- Governor Gina Raimondo is Adopting
- Is Raimondo’s College Plan Dead? Paiva Weed’s Departure, Trump and CPAs’ Opposition
- Democratic Governor’s Political Arm Launches TV Spot for Raimondo 20 Months Before Election
- Guest MINDSETTER™ Stewart: Why I Oppose Raimondo’s Free College Scheme
- RIC’s Endress Talks Trump’s Tweets, Raimondo’s National Press Disconnect with RI, and More
- Robert Whitcomb: Raimondo Status, Medical Cost-Shifting to the States; & Saving the Citgo Sign
- Igliozzi Makes Appeal to Raimondo to Keep Plainfield Street 6/10 On-Ramp
- Education Labor Leader Bob Walsh Talks About the Future Under Trump and Raimondo
- EDITORIAL: Raimondo’s College Plan, Fix the Foundation Before Building on the Addition
- Raimondo Names Rebecca Boss as Her Choice for Director of BHDDH
- Siedle: Trailing Wreckage, Gina Raimondo Rising Star of Democratic Party?
- Magaziner Announces RI has Withdrawn $340 Million From Hedge Funds, Strategy Shift from Raimondo
- My Position on Marijuana Legalization Has Evolved, Says Raimondo on GoLocal LIVE
- RI’s Revenues Collapse: Raimondo Blames Trump, Mattiello Blames Raimondo: UPDATED
- Riley: Did Magaziner & Raimondo Invest in Vulture Hedge Funds?
- Raimondo Names Steinmetz Policy Advisor on Cybersecurity
- Former Cranston Mayor Blasts Fung, Raimondo and City of Providence
- Governor Raimondo’s Multiple and Growing Technology Failures
- ABC6’s “In The Arena” - Shekarchi Says May Not Be Enough Money to Fund Raimondo College Plan
