New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, a Republican, rejected a state budget plan approved by legislators over tax increases to fund public schools and state agencies, according to US News.
"I will never allow lawmakers to raise taxes on our families in order to bail out big government," Martinez said on Saturday. "They actually overspent by putting in tax increases and claiming they balanced the budget, knowing I wasn't going to sign it."
The New Mexico legislature approved a $6.1 billion budget on Friday, along with a tax increase for the upcoming fiscal year. Martinez refused to approve the tax hike mere minutes after the session adjourned. With no agreement reached, the governor said she would recall the legislators to Santa Fe for renegotiations, though she did not specify a date.
"I want them to think about what they've done. They need to understand what they've done, so they can come back with that understanding and fix it," Martinez told the press, according to ABC affiliate KVIA El Paso.
"Many in the Legislature failed to do their jobs this session," she added, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican. "They actually squandered 60 days and cowed to special interest groups. It was reckless and it was irresponsible, and now we are staring down the path of a government shutdown."
State Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth, a Democrat from Santa Fe, said his party is "still hopeful" that the governor will change her mind.
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