October 19, 2026
Pohnpei — The Pohnpei State Legislature has overridden all of Governor Stevenson Joseph’s line-item vetoes of the state’s fiscal year 2027 budget, restoring appropriations for the Legislature, Judiciary, and Office of the Public Auditor that the Governor had attempted to remove.
The Legislature confirmed the overrides to The Kaselehlie Press. The action restores the appropriations affected by the vetoes to the Comprehensive Budget Act, State Law No. 11L-139-26, which Governor Joseph signed into law earlier this month.
Governor Joseph signed Legislative Bill No. 400-26, L.D.1, exercising line-item veto authority over increases the Legislature had added to the Executive Branch’s original budget proposal.
According to an October 7 press release from the Pohnpei Governor’s Office, the Governor vetoed additional appropriations for the Pohnpei Supreme Court, Pohnpei State Legislature, and Pohnpei State Public Auditor.
The Governor’s Office said those increases had not been included in the administration’s original budget submission and that the vetoes would return the affected amounts to the state’s unassigned fund balance.
Joseph made exceptions for funding intended to support traditional leaders, known as Mwoalen Wahu, and the “All For Us” conference in Chuuk.
The Governor’s decision followed a prolonged budget process that continued into the final hours of the state’s fiscal year.
According to the Governor’s Office, the Executive Branch submitted its proposed FY2027 budget in February, but the Legislature did not return the approved measure until approximately 10 p.m. on September 30, just two hours before the beginning of the new fiscal year.
The delay created uncertainty over continued funding for government operations.
Before the Legislature completed its budget deliberations, Acting Governor Herolyn S. Movick submitted a proposed continuing resolution and an emergency statement intended to prevent interruptions in government services.
The Governor’s Office said the Legislature did not endorse those measures before passing the budget.
Governor Joseph subsequently signed the budget while objecting to certain legislative changes, including the elimination of personnel positions in the Governor’s Office and the Attorney General’s Office.
Although he opposed those staffing reductions, Joseph allowed them to remain in the enacted budget.
“As we look toward the certainty of an El Niño event and the emergencies that may accompany it, it is imperative that our services and staffing are adequate to serve the people of Pohnpei,” Joseph said in the October 7 release.
“While I have left the defunding of these positions as approved to allow the budget to move forward, I do so with the sincere hope that we may work together to restore them.”
The Governor’s Office said the line-item vetoes were intended to provide an opportunity for further discussions between the Executive Branch and Legislature about spending priorities and the restoration of essential government positions.
Joseph also submitted two proposed bills intended to provide funding for the declared state of emergency and preparations for a possible drought.
The Legislature’s subsequent decision to override all of the Governor’s line-item vetoes means that the additional appropriations he rejected will remain part of the state’s FY2027 budget.
However, the override does not, by itself, restore the personnel positions that Joseph said the Legislature had eliminated. Those reductions were not among the provisions he vetoed.
Although the Legislature confirmed that it overrode all of the Governor’s line-item vetoes, The Kaselehlie Press has not received the official override records or an explanation of the Legislature’s decision.
The budget dispute comes as the state faces concerns about government operations, emergency preparedness, and the availability of funding for essential services during the new fiscal year.
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