And with these latest supplementary appropriations, it takes the total to the hundreds of millions that the government has brought to the House in only the first five months of the fiscal year. While the PM says he will have to crunch the numbers to find out the exact figure, he justified the substantial spending by saying that the government has no choice since the money is needed:
Hon. John Briceno, Prime Minister
"I think what is important to point out is that unlike the previous government or governments that were constantly used to break the law, we are following the law. I mean, these are monies that are genuinely needed for this country. We could sit and say, well we have no more money and sit there and do nothing. We believe that we need to do the work. We believe we have and not only a legal, but a moral responsibility to do to this country to be able to move it forward. What you need to look at, I think what's more important to see the development that have been taking place in such a short time, how we have turned around the country, how the economy, how we are getting more people working and more opportunities. We're still going through a difficult time and we understand that what a lot of the issues that are being brought up by the opposition are things that we have no control over. We import most of what we we eat and we use. And the prices are continuing to go up worldwide."
