BOSTON, MA — Republican gubernatorial candidate Brian Shortsleeve today announced that, as governor, he will veto the legislature’s budget appropriation until lawmakers fully comply fully with the comprehensive audit authority approved by 72% of Massachusetts voters.
The legislature receives tens of millions annually in taxpayer funding. That money pays for legislative operations, salaries, and leadership stipends that help maintain the Democratic supermajority’s grip on Beacon Hill.
“In more than 20 years in the private sector, I learned a simple lesson: if you refuse to do the job you’re assigned to do, you don’t get paid,” said Shortsleeve. “Apparently, the Democratic supermajority on Beacon Hill has forgotten how the real world works. The people voted for a full audit. The legislature doesn’t get to ignore the will of the people simply because it doesn’t like where we stand.
“As governor, I will use every tool available to enforce the will of the voters. If lawmakers refuse to comply with the audit approved by 72% of Massachusetts residents, I will veto the legislature’s budget line item. If they want to operate in the shadows, hide records from the public, and defy the people they were elected to serve, they won’t do it on the taxpayers’ dime. There will be no more blank checks for the legislature.”