York County Republican Delegation Members Issue Statement on Continuing State Budget Impasse
Reps. Stan Saylor (R-Red Lion), Will Tallman (R-Hanover), Seth Grove (R-Dover), and Ron Miller (R-Springfield Township) of the York County Republican Delegation of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives issued the following statement on the ongoing state budget impasse:
“Pennsylvania is about to enter the eighth week of the new fiscal year and we are still without a budget. After signing a budget to pay state employees, Governor Ed Rendell is back on the road making his case for higher taxes and higher spending and predicting dire consequences if he doesn’t get them.
“This is more of the same fear campaign the governor has been mounting since this budget process began. First, he tried holding state workers hostage in an effort to force lawmakers into accepting his proposal for a 16 percent income tax increase. After House Democratic leaders publicly admitted there are not enough votes to pass the governor’s tax increase, he realized his effort to hold state workers hostage had failed and he released those hostages in exchange for another, larger group of hostages which includes college students, public schools, day care services, families of children with special needs, and Pennsylvania’s hospitals to name a few.
“Make no mistake: One person and one person only has eliminated funding for education, day care, social services, and many other state programs. That person is Governor Rendell. He claims to be fighting for Pennsylvania schools but he vetoed funding for every public school in Pennsylvania. He claims to be fighting for Pennsylvanians who cannot help themselves but he vetoed funding for a host of programs which would help them. In some cases, like special education funding, the governor vetoed funding for programs even though the bill provided the same amount he originally requested.
“If the governor was serious about protecting these Pennsylvanians, he would have left funding for them intact in this bill so the programs could continue to function while a final budget is crafted. Instead of travelling the state trying to scare Pennsylvanians into accepting his tax increase, the governor should be in Harrisburg working with lawmakers to craft a sensible state budget which reflects our financial situation and funds essential state services without increasing taxes on Pennsylvania families and businesses.”
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
York County Republican Delegation
Contact: Sean Yeakle
(717) 787-3406