Gov. Lincoln Almond vetoed a proposed budget June 6 that would have included a 2-cent fuel tax hike. The governor said he doesn't believe the proposed budget trims enough spending to avoid future deficits.

Gov. Almond said lawmakers had given him "no option" other than vetoing the proposal. He called the budget a "fiscal nightmare, a policy disaster and a constitutional crisis" for what he believes is $200 million of overspending, along with the fuel tax hike. Almond has called for the legislature to reconvene by June 12 to reconsider the budget.

The House and Senate passed a 2-cent fuel tax hike the last week of May as part of a budget bill to avoid future projected deficits. The tax hike would have increased the state's diesel tax to 30 cents per gallon.