Editor’s note: This commentary is by Brenda Siegel, who is a Democratic candidate for governor, founder and director of the Southern Vermont Dance Festival, vice chair of the Democratic Committee and delegate to the Windham County Democratic Committee. She is an anti-poverty activist and single mom from Newfane.
Late on Thursday Phil Scott vetoed his third budget of his administration and second this session (only one other budget has ever been vetoed in Vermont’s history). It is important to recognize that there was nothing in this budget that he disagreed with and the catastrophic impact of a potential government shutdown is simply irresponsible. Phil Scott is playing with the lives and safety of Vermonters due to his own political agenda.
The budget he just vetoed included $30 million in income tax reductions that would help buffer the negative impacts of the Trump tax plan. A reduction of Social Security income taxation which Scott himself has advocated for and a level residential education tax rates were both also included. This budget was supported by his own party and yet, to push forward his own agenda to undermine education, he vetoed another budget, putting Vermonters at risk for shutting down our state.
Phil Scott said in his budget address, “Only five states fully tax Social Security retirement benefits. Today I ask you to join me in bringing that number to four, by phasing in the elimination of this tax on seniors living on low and moderate incomes.” This budget included the phase-in that Scott asked for and yet he vetoed it. One has to ask, who is he trying to make Vermont “affordable” for when he will veto and put at risk Vermonters whenever it does not serve the privatization and big business interest?
It is the summer, Vermonters want to be in their parks, need their roads fixed, need to stay healthy, veterans need services, and so much more. In addition there are thousands of state workers who need to be paid in order to support their families and survive. Scott has not made a plan for who comes to work when there is a shutdown or has not shared it if he has. This means that our state employees are left to fear that they won’t be paid come July 1.
The original budget was a tripartisan budget that passed unanimously in the Senate and overwhelmingly in the House. The second budget this session had virtually the same language only putting aside the non-residential tax rate and the use of one-time money. The Legislature has agreed to continue negotiations on those two pieces outside of this budget in the best interest of the state, because a government shutdown would be catastrophic.
Finally, Scott’s own plan raises property taxes on 50 percent of the state this year and most Vermonters in years three, four and five. He is not protecting the people who live in this state by vetoing this budget, he is protecting second-home owners and undermining public education while not paying down teacher pensions. There is nothing in this budget that Scott disagrees with; it simply doesn’t push forward his agenda to protect private companies and special interests.
Make no mistake, this hurts Vermonters and is irresponsible governance. There is enough happening on the national scale, that we need to make sure our leaders would stand up for working people across the state. Everything we have seen so far from this governor points to the opposite, he is standing up for those at the top and stepping on the rest of us. We need to make sure that our next leader lifts from the bottom, supports strong tripartisan legislation and would never leave Vermonters in fear that they won’t be paid or that necessary services will stop. This is unacceptable. We can do better, we can create a Vermont for all of us.
