JUNEAU -- Saying she had "lost faith in the system," Eagle River Republican Rep. Lora Reinbold this week voted against a $5.4 billion Alaska operating budget brought forth by her Republican colleagues in the House of Representatives.
Now she stands to lose her standing in the Republican-led House majority caucus as well.
But Reinbold says it was something she had to do.
"It was a tough decision. I didn't take it lightly," she said.
In the past, breaking a pledge to vote for the party's budget has meant severe political repercussions, including being booted from a caucus and loss of committee chair positions, committee seats and office staff, all of which help legislators accomplish their agendas.
The House majority caucus will discuss Reinbold's actions Monday, said House Speaker Mike Chenault, R-Nikiski. He declined to predict what the caucus would do.
But the body's Committee on Committees has scheduled an unusual meeting for Monday morning. That committee has the power to change committee assignments, but has not met so far this year.
Reinbold is co-chair of the Joint Armed Services Committee.
Rep. Lynn Gattis, R-Wasilla, said she tried to talk Reinbold out of taking the action she did, as early as she did.
"Certainly we know as caucus members that our one true obligation to remain caucus members is to vote with the budget, but I tell you, the budget hasn't gone through the Senate and come back (for concurrence)," she said.
In the Senate, the budget numbers could go up or down. Gattis said she'd like to see more cuts but that the House number was acceptable. But, she said, every legislator comes up with their own definition of what is acceptable.
Reinbold said she did that, and came to the conclusion that more needed to be cut, despite the caucus rules.
"I feel my vote was not a vote out of fear, but out of courage," she said. "I didn't vote against my colleagues, I voted for the constituents that sent me here, and I hope to work with every single one of my colleagues of all parties in order to create a brighter future and address the magnitude of the fiscal crisis that we're in," she said.
She said budget cuts that she said amounted to 5 percent are inadequate at a time when state oil revenues are declining 60 percent.
Reinbold praised subcommittees headed by Gattis and others and their "bold" cuts to the state budget but said the changes that caused her to lose faith in the system were when the full House Finance Committee partially restored some of those cuts.
"I understand her disappointment on the add-backs," Gattis said, but that she saw a "bigger picture" in which she can still work within the system for conservative ideals.
Also confronting the majority caucus in deciding what to do about Reinbold may be her manner of casting her vote, including a speech likening their actions to those of President Barack Obama.
After several legislators said, "You can't cut yourself to prosperity," Reinbold turned that argument around against them.
"The truth of the matter is, it is impossible to spend ourselves to prosperity," she said. "Our current president had tried that.
"We have an $18 trillion deficit. This has not led America to prosperity but rather has posed a national security threat."
Alaska, too, is spending too much, and the Legislature must stop that, Reinbold said.
"In the last 10 years the state's operating budget has more than doubled due to some actions of people within this room, and the requests and demands of many Alaskans and we must take responsibility," she said.
Reinbold said she doesn't know what her colleagues in the majority caucus will do now.
"I know there's deliberating right now, and I'm giving them time to process it," she said.
House Minority Leader Chris Tuck, D-Anchorage, said the Independent Democratic Coalition he heads is a nonbinding caucus that doesn't require members to vote any specific way.
But Reinbold said a Tuck-led caucus wouldn't be a good fit for her.
"He's a nice guy, but philosophically we're on two different planets," she said.