Drummond declares lack of confidence in Stitt budget projections, calls for increased legislative involvement
OKLAHOMA CITY (Dec. 20, 2024) – Attorney General Gentner Drummond announced shortly before today’s Board of Equalization meeting that he lacks confidence in the budget numbers provided by the Stitt Administration, calling instead for increased legislative involvement in the process.
“I come from the private sector, where you don’t play games with your budget,” Drummond said. “After sitting through several of these meetings, as well as briefings from the Governor’s chosen staff, I can tell you that I have no confidence in the accuracy or completeness of the Governor’s budget numbers.”
Drummond cited recent examples of discrepancies and inaccuracies that eroded his confidence. In December of 2023, the Board of Equalization was told there would be $8,976,523,862 available for appropriation in FY25. By February, 10 days after the Governor laid out his budget priorities, that number had increased to $9,037,537,501. This increase bolstered the Governor’s argument for a proposed income tax cut. Now those same February numbers are projected to be off by $390 million, while the Oklahoma Tax Commission is reporting that expected revenue will drop by $528 million.
“Last December, we were told one amount, then in February it was a new number that was magically enough to pay for the Governor’s tax cut,” Drummond said. “I’m all for lowering the tax burden on Oklahoma families, but let’s not play political games with the budget numbers. Let’s have an open and transparent process where the numbers don’t change just because the Governor wants them to.”
Drummond said the process would be greatly improved by increased legislative involvement in the development of budget projections.
“The people of Oklahoma elected every legislator the same way they elected the Governor,” Drummond said. “As a Constitutional officer who has a duty to certify these numbers, I would have much more confidence in their accuracy if House and Senate budget leaders and their staff played a more significant role in the process.”
Drummond’s announcement today comes after being the lone “no” vote in the Board of Equalization meeting in February of this year. At the time, Drummond’s office said his “no” vote was “a reflection of his lack of confidence in certain revenue estimates that were provided.”
In light of his lack of confidence in the figures, Drummond did not attend today's meeting.
