Governor Steve Bullock could be forced to rent a plane after Republican Representatives stripped his from the statewide budget earlier this month.
Today in the Senate, Republican Jim Keane of Butte argued that this is a bad, politically-driven decision.
“Why, you talk about fiscal responsibility, don’t you think that not allowing the chief executive of the state of Montana to have a plane is appropriate?”
Republican Representative Ryan Osmundson stood by the cut, even if renting could end up costing more, because he says the governor was inefficiently using the plane.
“There was a lot of flights going to places that were within a hour’s drive or less and that was a real concern as far as efficiency was.”
Action on the entirety of the state budget, including the plane, is expected Wednesday. Legislators must pass the state budget before they can head home.