In a televised speech on 3 March 2009, 60 days after having been sworn in, Governor Fortuño announced his fiscal and economic recovery plan which included reducing the government's annual expenditures by more than $2 billion at the start of the next fiscal year in July 2009. Media speculation estimated that a reduction of such magnitude could require permanently laying off up to 30,000 government workers. On 1 May 2009, a mass of workers marched through the streets of San Juan in response to the governor's plan, protesting the government's preparation for impending layoffs. Most of the frustration of the Puerto Rican constituents was due to the then candidate Luis Fortuno swearing that he would not lay off a single employee yet in his 3 March speech he warned that the $3.2 billion deficit he encountered might require laying off over 20,000-30,000 government employees.
