Feb. 04, 2020
HARRISBURG -- Rep. Cris Dush (R-Jefferson/Indiana) issued the following statement today regarding Gov. Tom Wolf’s $36 billion 2020-21 state budget proposal:
“Today America’s most liberal governor unfortunately focused on continuing his fiscally reckless taxing and spending priorities to the tune of $2.05 billion more than last year’s budget. At a time when more Pennsylvanian’s are working the bulk of his irresponsible spending increase ($1.7 billion), is ironically, going to welfare—which if left unchecked would consume 40 percent of total state budget spending.
“In spite of the governor saying ‘this budget does not ask any of you to vote for any new taxes,’ he followed it up by saying ‘by joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, we can raise hundreds of millions of dollars’ by using government force to raise the electric bills on seniors and schools.
“In his budget address the governor also stated: ‘It does not ask any of you to join me on some wild-eyed ideological crusade.’ But he followed that statement with a tirade using false narratives in an attempt to shame those who stand for freedom and the Constitutional right for the people of Pennsylvania to keep and bear arms in defense of themselves and the Commonwealth.
“What was supposed to be the constitutionally required address regarding the state’s budget was turned into a wild-eyed ideological crusade against law-abiding gun owners.
“He also went down the wild-eyed ideological rabbit hole of demanding an even more devastating $15 per hour minimum wage from all Pennsylvania employers.
“Why have the governor and Democrats in the Pennsylvania General Assembly been steadily calling for minimum wage increases of $9, then $10, then $12 and now $15 dollars during the past several years? The answer is fewer and fewer people are making even less than $12 per hour.
“This is largely because the Trump economy is booming and raising wages as the economy strengthens and more jobs are being created. State government needs to get out of the way and let the people and job-creating employers work together to determine the free market value of their labor.
“There are now fewer than 1% (0.25%) of workers with children making minimum wage. Many of those are servers in the food and beverage industry who are bringing home significantly more than the minimum wage in tips.
“I have never had one single waitress ask me to support the governor’s job-killing minimum wage increase proposal! Neither should the people’s Legislature support the governor’s unsustainable taxing, spending and borrowing against future generations as this year’s annual budget process unfolds.”
Representative Cris Dush
66th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Ty McCauslin
717.772.9979
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