Pennsylvania governor rejects Republican budget, says it’s ‘garbage’

“Gov. Wolf must now decide whether he wants to inflict further pain on schools and social services in our state by vetoing this bill, or stand with all Pennsylvanians who are ready to move forward in a positive direction”, the legislator said.

Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason said in a statement Tuesday that Wolf’s June veto of the budget “needlessly plunged our school districts and non-profits into a six-month crisis”.

Tom Wolf speaks with members of the media Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2015, at the state Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa. Wolf says he is rejecting parts of a $30.3 billion state budget plan that’s already a record six months overdue, but he’s freeing up over $23 billion in emergency funding.

The spending plan favored by the Republican-controlled legislature “is wrong for Pennsylvania”, the governor said. I’m also letting funding go out to our human service agencies and to our counties. “But this is on an emergency basis only”. “Let’s get back to work to finish the job you nearly finished last week”.

Wolf prefers a $30.8 billion spending plan that cleared the Senate earlier this month.

But, he said, legislators “simply left town before finishing their job”.

The governor said he is using a line item veto to eliminate much of that budget.

In his statement, Wolf said, “I’m vetoing their plan to cut $95 million from schools and other items they don’t pay for”.

“Instead they propose to pay for school construction by issuing billions in debt”.

Wolf could veto the bill, sign it to end the budget impasse or allow it to become law without his signature. Legislation to send an annual subsidy of almost $600 million to Penn State, Temple, Pitt, Lincoln and the University of Pennsylvania’s veterinary school remains in the House and apparently can not pass without a tax increase of some sort.

School districts across the state have had to borrow at least $900 million in total to stay open.

“That compromise budget was in balance”.

“For the first time in years, we have an opportunity to fund our schools and fix the structural deficit, but Republican leaders refused to even bring the compromise budget to a vote”.

Although Wolf isn’t talking about his plans, he took to Facebook on Thursday to blast “extremist Republicans” and urge supporters to “continue our fight for historic education funding”.

But the agreement seemed to collapse in the House just before Christmas, with that chamber and the Senate sparring over which taxes to raise and which changes to make to the state’s two biggest pension funds.