Shortsleeve would tie legislative funding to audit compliance

Politics admin June 8, 2026 0 Comments

Shortsleeve would tie legislative funding to audit compliance

Angered by the Legislature’s tactics to curtail the scope of the voter-backed audit law, Republican Brian Shortsleeve said Monday that if he were governor, he would veto the budget appropriations for the House and Senate until they fully comply with Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s probe.

If Shortsleeve wins his bid for the corner office, he pledged to take away the money that covers legislative operations, salaries, and leadership stipends. His campaign pegged that dollar amount at about $110 million.

“Here’s my view: If you’re refusing to comply with the law and the expressed will of the people, taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to keep writing you a blank check,” Shortsleeve said at a press conference outside the State House. “In more than 20 years building companies in the private sector, I’ve learned a simple lesson: If you don’t do the job you’re assigned to do, you don’t get paid. If you refuse oversight, there are consequences.”

According to the state’s final fiscal 2026 annual budget, legislative appropriations totaled $91.3 million, including $49.8 million for the House, $30.7 million for the Senate, and $10.7 million for joint appropriations.

At a sparsely attended event, a white banner behind Shortsleeve said “veto” in red capital letters.

Shortsleeve’s proposed maneuver would likely be thwarted by the Legislature, which can overturn a gubernatorial veto with a two-thirds vote in both branches. Asked about that possibility, Shortsleeve said “it starts with leadership” as he accused Governor Maura Healey of not returning a phone call or email to DiZoglio in more than a year and a half.

“As governor, I will take action,” Shortsleeve said. “Maura Healey has taken no action.”

Healey has said she voted for the audit ballot question, but she largely hasn’t intervened in the fight enveloping the Legislature, DiZoglio, and Attorney General Andrea Campbell. Healey’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Shortsleeve’s remarks.

The long-running audit dispute hit a new boiling point last week.

The House passed a bill Wednesday that dramatically restricts the legislative probe that voters in 2024 authorized DiZoglio to conduct. DiZoglio’s audit would be limited to the Legislature’s administrative functions under the measure, and the courts would also be blocked from resolving disputes between the auditor and lawmaker.

House leaders say their bill addresses their constitutional separation of power concerns, while DiZoglio contends the branch is suppressing the judiciary’s authority.

“They cannot legislate in the Mass. General Laws that the courts don’t have the power to adjudicate matters of law,” DiZoglio said on WCVB’s “On the Record” show that aired Sunday. “They are violating the separation of powers — that’s the courts’ role, not their role. And Mr. speaker has led his membership down a very, very dangerous path.”

The Senate last week gave DiZoglio a narrow slate of records, after passing a resolution that looks to guard the branch against future requests that senators claim could infringe on constitutional separation of power principles.

Shortsleeve says Healey should veto any legislation that limits the scope of the voter-backed audit law.

The House bill also subjects the governor’s office to the public records law — but not the Legislature. Pressed whether Healey should sign the bill for the sake of the public records component, Shortsleeve said, “It’s a bad bill — it should be vetoed.”

Reflecting on the 72 percent of voters who cast their ballot for the audit, Shortsleeve continued, “I think it’s outrageous that this building and this leadership has blown it off. I think it’s outrageous that our governor will not stand up and drive that audit through.”

Republican Mike Kennealy, who suspended his campaign for governor after falling short at the MassGOP convention in April, last week endorsed Mike Minogue. In a statement, Kennealy ridiculed Shortsleeve for running “an overwhelmingly negative and dishonest campaign.”

“Shortsleeve has a decision to make about whether to continue his campaign given the lack of public support for his candidacy, but whatever his choice, Mike Minogue will be the 2026 Republican nominee for Governor,” Kennealy said.

Shortsleeve on Monday dismissed the endorsement as an “insider’s game” and pitched himself as the “pro-choice Republican in this race.” Minogue, a Catholic who’s pro-life, has said he’ll uphold state laws protecting reproductive care access.

“We’re getting a great response. I’m not very focused on the inside game,” Shortsleeve said. “I’m focused on the people of the state that want change.”