Alaska News

Alaska GOP leaders ask Walker for 'immediate action' on budget cutting

Republican leaders in the Alaska Legislature are asking new Gov. Bill Walker to take "immediate action" to cut the state budget as the state faces a $3.5 billion budget gap this year following a sharp drop in the price of oil.

In a letter dated Tuesday and publicized Friday, the Republican leaders of the state House and Senate, as well as the four GOP co-chairs of the two bodies' finance committees, asked Walker to consider options like a hiring freeze, limiting agency travel and transferring money away from long-delayed or stalled construction projects.

The letter also asked Walker to find potential cuts to state departments "while preserving funding for essential services and all ongoing gas line and other statewide projects critical to education, energy security, infrastructure, and the public safety of Alaskans."

And the letter asks the new governor to give legislators his amended version of an early budget proposal near the start of the legislative session, in late January, rather than the legal deadline of Feb. 18.

In a Facebook post, Tom Wright, the chief of staff for House Speaker Mike Chenault, said the letter contains recommendations rather than demands.

"The governor campaigned hard on the budget and he should implement some or all of his recommendations," Wright wrote. "He ha(s) strong constitutional powers, and it is time he begin to utilize the powers he has at his discretion."

In a response letter dated Friday, Walker said he appreciated the legislators' "candid suggestions" and told them that "weeks prior to receiving your correspondence, my administration was in the process of considering the specific budget recommendations you have outlined, as well as others."

ADVERTISEMENT

The measures will likely be implemented after New Year's Day, Walker said in his letter, adding that more details are forthcoming.

Walker also revealed some of his budget-cutting plans Friday afternoon in an emailed announcement that said he'd asked each state department to assess the impact of 5 percent and 8 percent reductions from the early budget proposal.

He is asking state employees to identify wasteful spending through an anonymous survey, and he's also recruiting budget-cutting ideas from the public through a separate website.

The people who submit the top five suggestions will be invited to a private lunch with Walker and Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott to answer questions and flesh out their ideas. A spokeswoman for Walker said in an email that the meal -- likely "a simple lunch of soup and sandwiches" -- would be paid for by the state.

Nathaniel Herz

Anchorage-based independent journalist Nathaniel Herz has been a reporter in Alaska for nearly a decade, with stints at the Anchorage Daily News and Alaska Public Media. Read his newsletter, Northern Journal, at natherz.substack.com

ADVERTISEMENT