Woonsocket Radio News Room

 

WRONG TIME, WRONG MESSAGE FOR CABINET PAY RAISES

 

STATE HOUSE, Providence, RI – The Department of Administration (DOA) will hold a public hearing tomorrow, March 26 at 11 a.m. on Governor Dan McKee’s proposal to raise the base salaries of eleven of his thirteen Cabinet members. RI law allows that proposed salaries of directors and secretaries go into effect 30 days after DOA approves them, unless rejected by a Joint Resolution of the House and Senate. Raises were approved in each of the past three years, but this year, with the state facing a projected $250 million deficit, is different.

 

“The Governor cites regional competitiveness as a driver of proposed raises, so should we not also compare Rhode Island’s budget, population, land mass, and government effectiveness to those other states?” asked Senate Minority Leader Jessica de la Cruz. “Our $14 billion state budget makes our per capita spending 35 percent higher than neighboring states, while our business climate, bridges and infrastructure are ranked among the worst in the nation. Clearly, we are not getting the most effective use of our tax dollars under this administration. It long past time to establish an independent Office of Inspector General, as our neighboring states have already done, to increase accountability and affordability before rewarding highly paid political appointees.”

 

Yesterday in a radio interview the Governor stated these raises are warranted due to uncertainty coming from Washington, DC since January 20th.  In response Leader de la Cruz states, “This is a ridiculous assertion. Our state’s difficulties are not the result of anything happening since January 20th, but rather the culmination of years of bad policy coupled with unchecked state government spending.”

 

“As average hard-working Rhode Islanders face staggering energy prices and historic highs for housing costs, the Governor’s proposal is tone deaf and irresponsible,” concluded Leader de la Cruz. “If this proposal passes, I will support a formal Joint Resolution with my colleagues to reject the proposed pay raise package.”

 

Voters in Wisconsin and Florida are casting ballots today. There's a state supreme court election in Wisconsin, and Florida voters will decide two pivotal vacant House seats that could help to shift the balance of power nationally. Both parties have spent millions in each state, seeing the elections as referendum on the direction of the country.        The Supreme Court may soon rule on issues related to President Trump's numerous executive orders. One of those is over the deportations of Venezuelan gang members under the Alien Enemies Act. Trump would like to see the Supreme Court lift a restraining order that's blocking the removals. Justices may also decide on a lower court's ruling requiring the government to reinstate millions in Department of Education grants.        Federal agencies are looking over nine-billion-dollars worth of contracts with Harvard University over the school's handling of antisemitism. The departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and the U.S. General Services Administration are conducting the review announced yesterday. Education Secretary Linda McMahon accused the school of failing to protect students from antisemitic discrimination.        NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore says he's not going to assign blame for him and fellow astronaut Suni [[ Sunny ]] Williams spending nine months in space. In an interview with Fox News, Wilmore said he'd rather look to the future and figure out how to fix those problems. The two astronauts returned to Earth earlier this month after encountering issues with the Boeing Starliner.        Some details of Gene Hackman's death will not be released to the public. A judge in New Mexico has blocked certain court records that show the bodies of Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, at the request of the couple's estate. Officials say Arakawa and Hackman died inside their home in February.        Today is April Fool's Day, so keep a careful eye out for trickery. While there may be no clear, official origin, references to the first of April as a day of pranks date back all the way to the 14th century.       

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