Speaker ousts budget chair after dispute
Oklahoma Speaker Charles McCall has replaced Appropriations and Budget Committee Chair Leslie Osborn a day after she and others publicly disagreed with him.
McCall emailed some members of the House notifying them that Osborn, R-Mustang, would be replaced by Wellston Republican Kevin Wallace, who served as vice chair last session.
On Monday, Osborn and two House appropriations subcommittee chairs disputed claims that the Department of Human Services was to blame for program and service cuts that were announced last week. McCall and the House majority leader separately criticized DHS for eliminating or suspending nearly $30 million worth of programs that support children, vulnerable adults and the elderly.
DHS contends that growing costs and years of under-funding forced its hand.
Jason Sutton, McCall’s press secretary, said the
shake-up was “absolutely not” a reaction to the news release. In an email to the media, McCall praised Wallace’s performance during the last budget cycle.
“He works well with our entire caucus, and he has the experience, diligence and skill set to serve Oklahoma well in this very important role,” the speaker wrote.
Osborn responded by saying she was disheartened, but conceded it was the speaker’s decision to make.
“Oklahomans are calling out for leadership, and I intend to answer their call,” Osborn wrote in a news release. “Oklahomans across the state have told me they are utterly disgusted at the divisive way we conduct our business at the State Capitol. It is a sad day when we cannot have an honest conversation about the major financial and budget issues we face as a state.
“I have always been willing to find solutions through conversations instead of conflict. Be assured, I will continue to stand up for finding achievable solutions to the myriad of problems in Oklahoma that keep us mired in mediocracy.”
The dispute stems from comments by House Majority Leader Mike Sanders, R-Kingfisher, and McCall that pointed blame at DHS. McCall said that the cuts show why agencies should be audited regularly by an independent auditor.
“Frankly, I am perplexed as to why an agency that could afford these programs last year would claim it can no longer afford them this year after receiving a $53 million increase from taxpayers,” said McCall, R-Atoka. “This is an agency that received $700 million in taxpayer dollars last session. We worked diligently during the legislative ses- sion to meet the needs of the agency as Director (Ed) Lake requested, so this announcement to cut programs is surprising to say the least.”
McCall’s figures appear to reference the total money DHS received last year after the budget failure caused mid-year spending cuts.
In their response, Osborn, Bartlesville Republican Earl Sears and Ardmore Republican Pat Ownbey said statements blaming DHS were a mischaracterization.
“There’s no doubt that DHS’s costs have grown far in excess of appropriations,” Osborn wrote. “Over the last few years, the Legislature has worked hard to increase the appropriation from $672 million to $700 million, but we can’t discount the fact that, during this same period, DHS has faced cost increases and lost revenue totaling at least $175 million. That is obviously far more than the $28 million increase in appropriations.”
In her first year as budget chair, Osborn sparred with fellow Republicans over tax hikes to fill the nearly $1 billion budget shortfall. At one point, she told a crowd of Capitol protesters that it was time to realize the gross production tax on oil and gas was too low.
During a floor debate on the last day of session, she chided Republicans who wanted to only cut spending at the expense of the state’s core services.