Whether a ‘pickle’ or a ‘crisis,’ the Alaska House is struggling with a deficit budget

The facade of the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau on May 22, 2024. (Eric Stone/Alaska Public Media)
The Alaska Legislature’s quest to pass a viable state budget before the end of the legislative session in mid-May isn’t getting any easier.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we’re all in a pickle,” House Speaker Bryce Edgmon, I-Dillingham, told reporters on Tuesday.
At this point in a normal year, Edgmon said, House lawmakers would be on the verge of passing their version of the