North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong’s administrative blunder has thrown $35 million in critical housing funds into jeopardy due to a misplaced line-item veto that accidentally eliminated the entire housing budget instead of targeting specific expenditures.
Key Takeaways
- Governor Armstrong accidentally vetoed $35 million for North Dakota’s housing budget while attempting to remove just a $150,000 grant for a Native American homelessness liaison position
- The mistake has been described as a “markup error” by Armstrong’s staff and acknowledged as an honest mistake by the governor’s office
- Legislative Council Director John Bjornson noted he had never seen anything like this in his 37 years of service
- The legislature may need to reconvene for a special session to address the issue before the veto takes effect on July 1, 2025
- Armstrong, elected in 2024, is navigating his first legislative session as governor with six days remaining in the 80-day session
A $35 Million Mistake
In what officials are calling an unprecedented administrative error, North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong has accidentally vetoed the state’s entire $35 million housing budget. The mishap occurred as Armstrong attempted to exercise his line-item veto power to eliminate a relatively small $150,000 grant for a Native American homelessness liaison position from a larger agency budget bill. Instead, his staff’s “markup error” resulted in striking the entire housing allocation, creating an urgent fiscal crisis that requires immediate legislative intervention to prevent disruption to critical housing programs across the state.
“North Dakota Republican Gov. Kelly Armstrong accidentally vetoed $35 million for the state’s housing budget while attempting to veto a couple of line items in an agency budget bill,” said Kelly Armstrong.
Unprecedented Administrative Error
The magnitude of the governor’s clerical error has sent shockwaves through North Dakota’s government, with veteran officials struggling to recall any similar incidents in the state’s history. Legislative Council Director John Bjornson, who has spent nearly four decades working with the legislature, emphasized the uniqueness of the situation. The error has created a procedural quandary for state officials, who must now determine the most efficient path to restore the funding before the veto takes effect on July 1, when housing programs would otherwise lose their financial support.
“The legislative council director noted that he had never seen anything like this in his 37 years of service,” said John Bjornson.
Scrambling for Solutions
Armstrong’s office has acknowledged the error and committed to finding a remedy, but the path forward presents complexities. The legislature has only six days remaining in its regular 80-day session, creating a tight timeline for corrective action. Lawmakers face multiple options: they could override the governor’s veto entirely, which would restore the housing funds but also reinstate the $150,000 grant Armstrong intended to eliminate; alternatively, they could draft and pass a new funding bill specifically for the housing budget, a process that could take up to three days of valuable legislative time.
“Armstrong’s office stated that the veto was an honest mistake and that they would work to fix it,” stated Armstrong’s office.
Political Implications for a First-Term Governor
The timing of this administrative error is particularly unfortunate for Armstrong, who is serving his first legislative session as governor after being elected in 2024. The mistake risks undermining public confidence in his administration’s competence and attention to detail. While the governor’s office has characterized the veto as an “honest mistake,” political opponents may seize upon the error as evidence of inexperience or administrative carelessness. How efficiently Armstrong and legislative leaders collaborate to resolve the crisis will likely influence public perception of his leadership abilities during these crucial early months in office.
Broader Budget Considerations
This housing budget fiasco comes at a time when fiscal responsibility and government efficiency are paramount concerns for taxpayers. The incident highlights the need for rigorous review processes for executive actions that impact state finances. While the governor’s intentions to eliminate what he perceived as an unnecessary $150,000 expenditure aligned with conservative principles of fiscal restraint, the administrative error has ironically created a much larger fiscal problem requiring additional legislative time and resources to resolve. This situation serves as a cautionary tale about the importance of precision in government operations, especially when taxpayer dollars are at stake.
