Louisiana lawmakers refused today to intervene in the latest budget dispute between Gov. John Bel Edwards’ administration and Attorney General Jeff Landry, telling both sides to work it out on their own.
As The Associated Press reports, Landry complained to members of the joint House and Senate budget committee that two of his budget requests were stalled by the Edwards administration, rather than advanced to the committee for consideration. The attorney general suggested the delay was politically motivated.
Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne said the requests were denied based on policy and legal decisions, not politics.
Though his requests weren’t on the committee’s agenda for today, Landry showed up to talk about the dispute, saying: “We would appreciate some direction as to how y’all believe we should proceed.”
After hearing from both sides, committee members said Landry should negotiate with Dardenne and follow the traditional process for midyear budget adjustments.
“You’re a pretty smart guy. You can get together with them and make this work,” Senate President John Alario, R-Westwego, told Landry.
The dispute is the latest in a series of clashes between the Republican attorney general and Democratic governor since the two men took office in January.
The attorney general’s office, like other state agencies, must seek approval from the governor’s Division of Administration and the budget committee to shift dollars among programs midyear.
Landry wants to beef up his office’s spending on Medicaid fraud investigations with available dollars in his agency. He’s also seeking $850,000 from the state health department to defend Louisiana’s new abortion laws, which are being challenged in a federal lawsuit.
