It may be April Fool’s Day, but Joe Lombardo’s growing record of fiscal irresponsibility is no laughing matter. So, NV Dems sent Lombardo a copy of “Budgeting for Dummies” in hopes that it will help him get a handle on the state’s finances.
Earlier this year, just days after touting fiscal responsibility during the State of the State Address, Lombardo fired his budget director after realizing he presented an unconstitutionally unbalanced budget. The budget Lombardo presented would have created a deficit of over $300 million, which lawmakers called unprecedented. Days later, his new state financial system – the one he was “proud to announce that the first phase of the financial system went live on January 2 and is now paying Nevada’s bills” – failed to pay out critical state expenses, including child support and health savings account payments. Whistle blowers in state government accused Lombardo of rushing to launch the new financial system before it was ready so he could brag about it in his State of the State address. Lombardo has a growing history of fiscal irresponsibility; in 2023, before vetoing legislation that would have lowered the cost of housing, he requested $25 million of taxpayer money to “go furniture shopping” for his office.
Nevada State Democratic Party spokesperson Tai Sims:
“Joe Lombardo has struggled with fiscal mismanagement since taking the oath of office. In his first budget, he prioritized $25 million for office furniture, while vetoing guaranteed school meals for Nevada students. This year alone, Lombardo proposed a budget with an unconstitutional budget deficit, fired his budget director, and his new financial system failed to pay out critical state expenses. We hope that ‘Budgeting for Dummies’ is a good read for Lombardo and maybe he’ll even learn his way around a spreadsheet.”
###
