It’s Well Past Time to Get Serious About Budget Negotiations
Labor Day has come and gone, and as summer fades away and we move toward fall, we are faced with a harsh reality. We are going on three months without a state budget.
Our state has moved into the national spotlight for the wrong reasons. We are being recognized across the country as a state plagued by a failure to act, entering its third month without a state budget.
More Pennsylvanians are being affected by the impasse with each day that passes. Human service organizations are in desperate need of funding, some are taking out loans to continue providing services, and others have had to turn people away.
A few weeks ago, my House Republican colleagues and I attempted to override the governor’s veto on certain line items, line items that included equal or greater funding levels as the governor’s proposal. This would have restored funding for critical human service agencies that have already felt the impact of the budget impasse. These votes, which required a two-thirds majority, sadly failed along party lines.
And there has been no substantive movement since then. I find myself frustrated with the governor’s inaction. Where is the sense of urgency? Our schools, some of which are already suffering, will be faced with some tough decisions if this impasse continues.
Recently, the governor has been saying that it’s time to get serious about budget negotiations. Frankly, it’s past time. We need to compromise and arrive at a budget that works for all Pennsylvanians. As a refresher, the word “compromise” implies both give and take. We have given the governor chances to work with us, the Legislature, on a budget that does not raise taxes by $12 billion over two years. We gave the administration a chance to increase education funding to even more historic levels, in exchange for liquor and pension reform. And we have heard nothing.
As I write this, there are currently no meetings scheduled between the governor and legislative leaders, and no plan to end this crisis. The future of our state budget is disturbingly unclear, but one thing remains clear. Pennsylvanians cannot afford the tax hikes proposed by Gov. Tom Wolf.
Representative Craig Staats
145th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Morgan Dux
717.260.6695
mdux@pahousegop.com
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