Governor Phil Scott is no stranger to the powers of the governor. He has vetoed 57 bills since taking office in 2017.

His most recent veto is of the midyear spending bill, which passed with bipartisan support. He appears to be specifically targeting the extension of the motel voucher program’s winter rules. A policy he called controversial.

The only controversy I see here is Gov. Scott’s continued reliance on executive power to prevent the will of the legislature and the will of the people of Vermont. In the past he has blamed partisanship but there is no longer a Democratic supermajority. A lot has changed since Gov. Scott took office, including how we all view executive power and the abuse of executive power to subvert political process sounds all too familiar today.

Al Harder-Hyde

Vergennes