Wolf to announce budget decision on Tuesday

What he does could set the tone for how the Legislature deals with him for the three years left in his first term. He might sign the bill. He could let it become law without his signature.

“It seems that the governor is left with the ultimate leadership decision to make”, said Peg Dierkers, executive director of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Wolf said he would release some desperately needed emergency funding to keep schools open and fund nonprofits that have struggled without state aid during the prolonged budget impasse. Many schools and counties have had to borrow money. There is also alarm that business tax credit programs subsidizing private and parochial school tuition scholarships will expire.

After a bipartisan budget compromise stalled last week, the Republican-controlled Senate sent the bill to Wolf in an effort to get money flowing to schools and social service agencies. He said it would leave a budget hole of about $500 million in the year that ends June 30 and an additional $2 billion in the next fiscal year.

Harrisburg, PA – Governor Tom Wolf today rejected the Republican budget that cuts $95 million from education and is out-of-balance, while directing emergency funding for key services.

It leaves big question marks. That plan would require up to $1 billion in unspecified tax increases.

“In doing this I am expressing the outrage that all of us Pennsylvanians should feel about the garbage the Republican legislative leaders have tried to dump on us”, said Wolf at a news conference at the Capitol in Harrisburg on Tuesday.

“I guess at this point, the ball’s in the governor’s court”, said Rep. Brian Ellis, R-Butler, the House GOP’s caucus administrator. “I just think it means we get to move forward to the next step”.

Wolf will still be looking over the budget throughout the night and is expected to veto parts of it.

Its budget bill shortchanges schoolchildren and reinforces unacceptable funding inequities, the center said. “I’m also vetoing other items that they don’t pay for”, Wolf said.

Counties and social services organizations are torn.

In recent weeks, Wolf had been pushing legislators to pass a so-called framework agreement that he and Senate Republicans had touted since Thanksgiving. “This budget is wrong for Pennsylvania, and the legislature, the folks we elected to serve us, need to own up to this”.

“Today, Tom Wolf finally admitted his multi-billion dollar mistake”, Rob Gleason said in a statement.

“I’ve been doing this for six months, and for six months I thought we were making some real progress”, Wolf said.