If you’re a lawmaker who’s had budget items vetoed, odds are good you’ve crossed the Governor.
Gov. Ron DeSantis discussed “power politics” and the potency of the line-item veto at a meeting of The Federalist Society on Thursday, explaining how political priorities form the basis for his vetoes.
DeSantis said he routinely vetoed projects from legislators who oppose his agenda, while advancing those who backed what he wanted done.
“If the members are supporting good policy, then, you know, I see their budget items, that’s just something you take into account,” DeSantis said.
“I mean, if they’re being difficult on things that are important to our voters … because the fight is really who’s going to represent the voters that we got elected to serve, and who kind of is doing their own agenda. And Republicans get into trouble when they run on an agenda, and then they go up and do different things,” DeSantis said.
“I’m fighting, ‘Hey, we told our voters we’re going to do this. We gotta do it, we gotta do it.’ There’s resistance to that. That’s just the nature of what you deal with. And so, fine, you know, we’re not going to do this. We’re not going to do that,” DeSantis said, before outlining consequences for standing up to him.
“Well, I am going to see that budget, and there’s a road. Oh, really? Okay, yeah, you need a road. Oh, I’m sure that’s good. Oh, wait a minute. You know, where were you on our tort reform? Where were you on school choice? And so that helps you to be able to advance a legislative agenda,” he said.
The comments come as the Florida House and the Senate continue to struggle to reach a budget accord.
DeSantis’s biggest veto list was 2022, when he axed more than $3 billion from the budget approved by the Legislature.
DeSantis said some legislators didn’t want to pass congressional redistricting and that others aren’t fans of whatever his property tax reduction proposal ends up being.
However, due to his “power” and his belief that voters want those things done, they capitulated on the map. He believes hey will do so on the tax question, which is expected to lead to a constitutional amendment in November.
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