Tensions between Gov. Mark Gordon and Secretary of State Chuck Gray erupted again Thursday during a meeting of the Wyoming Board of Land Commissioners, this time over an amendment to a slew of unmet housing applications to provide what Gordon called "attainable housing" for communities from Ranchester to Rawlins.
The flashpoint came when Gray attempted to rebut points made by State Treasurer Curt Meier during a debate over Gray's proposed amendment to require citizenship checks on housing grant applicants.
"Hold on, hold on. Stop! Shut up!" Gordon said from the chairman's seat in the Capitol Complex Auditorium in Cheyenne.
After a pause, Gordon said, "We're going to pause for a bit. Come on," as he stood up and pointed, appearing to suggest the two should step out of the room.
Earlier in the day, Gray introduced an amendment requiring that all people receiving housing through state-funded projects be U.S. citizens, cross-checked through the Department of Homeland Security's Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements program, known as SAVE.
During the morning session, Gordon ruled the motion out of order — a decision that prompted Gray to fire off a press release while the meeting was still underway.
"Ensuring that benefits and entitlement programs, such as affordable housing, are only extended to United States citizens, is very important to President Trump's vision of ensuring that entitlement benefits are only going toward citizens of our country," Gray stated in the release.
"It is outrageously wrong that Gov. Mark Gordon ruled this motion out of order, and it shows once again how liberal Mark Gordon is,” he continues.
Later in the day, Gray brought the amendment back for a different set of projects, triggering the debate that would consume the afternoon session.
The board broke for an executive session, and when the public meeting resumed, the fireworks continued.
Unfunded Mandates
The discussion intensified when Meier questioned the purpose of Gray's amendment and called it an “unfunded mandate” that would create unnecessary bureaucratic burdens.
"I'm trying to figure out exactly what problem we're trying to solve here," Meier said. "There's a national organization that actually does that. That's ICE."
The treasurer argued that instead of routing citizenship checks through the Office of State Lands and Investments, applicants' information should be sent directly to local sheriffs, who could then contact ICE.
"This is a whole lot of unfunded mandates and administrative burdens that bypasses the actual system of law that we have set up for this," Meier said.
Gray pushed back, arguing that taxpayer money "should be utilized by citizens of the state of Wyoming. Citizens. And that is a totally reasonable policy."
Escalating Tensions
Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder attempted to find middle ground, noting that while board members appeared to agree on the goal of protecting taxpayer-funded benefits for citizens, the question of implementation remained unanswered.
"We just saw it today, we have not worked together on this at all, of how we properly implement it," Degenfelder said. "That's the question that's before us right now."
But the atmosphere grew more volatile as Gray and Degenfelder both sought recognition from the chair simultaneously. That's when Gordon raised his voice.
After telling Gray to "shut up," Gray objected to the governor's tone.
"You're violating your rules, correct?" Gray said. "You just referred to me in a negative fashion. You're violating your own rules for decorum."
Familiar Scene
The confrontation was strikingly reminiscent of an incident at a marathon Board of Land Commissioners meeting in Douglas in January, where Gordon and Gray clashed during a special session about the controversial Pronghorn H2 wind energy lease in Converse County.
At the end of that five-and-a-half-hour meeting, after a terse exchange over the state attorney general's role, Gordon turned to Gray and asked, "Step outside, you want to step outside?"
"Are you threatening me?" Gray responded at the time.
Gordon's spokesperson later clarified that the governor "wished only to step outside and have a conversation with the secretary to try and understand his points."
Eventually Tabled
After the break Thursday, Degenfelder moved to table the unmet housing applications until an April 23 special meeting of the treasurer's office, saying the debate "is not getting us to a productive place."
Gray, while saying he stood by his amendment and that he believes it was "really well crafted," ultimately welcomed the motion to table.
"I think we're just going to get more sort of excuses on why not doing something that is actually very common sense," Gray said. "I think that's what we'll probably get over the next 30 days."
State Auditor Kristi Racines raised practical concerns about the amendment's implementation, questioning whether staff would have the capacity to conduct citizenship checks "essentially in perpetuity for grants that are awarded."
The motion to table appeared to pass 4-1, with Gray casting the only no vote.
Gray Responds
In a statement to Cowboy State Daily after the tense exchange, Gray said his amendment would ensure that state projects "mirror what President Trump has done at the federal level."
"Ensuring that benefits and entitlement programs, such as affordable housing, are only extended to United States citizens is very important to ensuring that entitlement benefits are only going toward citizens of our country," Gray said. "The amendment I made today would ensure that only citizens would be eligible for these state projects. It's common sense and right."
Gray also accused Gordon of having "another one of his unhinged outbursts in which he violated his own civility rules and started screaming."
"He asked me if I wanted to 'step outside' again," Gray said. "I asked him if he was threatening me and then said that I wanted to talk in front of everyone."
Gray added that "these outbursts and shrieks by the governor are simply attempts to intimidate us for our work to ensure entitlements are going to U.S. citizens. Gordon was upset that there was a clear majority to adopt our amendment and have this common sense accountability measure."
Gordon Responds
Amy Edmonds, spokesperson for the governor, told Cowboy State Daily that Gordon "will not be commenting on Chuck Gray's continued, predictable mudslinging."
"Instead, the governor's focus remains squarely on working for the people of Wyoming by strengthening our families and communities, growing our economy and promoting our outstanding natural resources and products to consumers both nationally and globally," Edmonds said.
She added that "while the Secretary continues his attempt to bolster his campaign by currying favor with President Trump using nothing but rhetoric, Governor Gordon is focused on implementing the President's vision in matters like winning the AI data race."
The governor's office also noted that Gray's vote Thursday "against a Laramie County starter housing project shows once again that he only wants to chase headlines with soundbites instead of implementing solid America-first policies."
David Madison can be reached at david@cowboystatedaily.com.
