Feb. 09, 2022
HARRISBURG -- In his annual state budget address today, Gov. Tom Wolf proposed a $43.7 billion budget for fiscal 2022-23, which would increase state spending by a whopping $6.2 billion or 16.6%. That’s $17 million more a day than the current budget. The governor’s budget also proposes to spend the balance of the federal pandemic funding it received.
Following Wolf’s budget address, Rep. Frank Ryan (R-Lebanon) offered the following response:
“I’m extraordinarily concerned that we are not living in reality. With a 16.6% increase after a COVID-19 shutdown that has had a catastrophic impact on everybody, it’s about time we get serious about our spending. This budget establishes a new financial floor and people are going to get hurt if we don’t restrain the governor’s spending. I know we will, but we have a long way to go. We have to establish some degree of fiscal responsibility and austerity in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as our citizens have had to do for decades.
“The governor talked about growth, but we are losing yet another congressional seat, which tells us that we are not growing. Let’s start to build economic growth in the Commonwealth and opportunities for our citizens, rather than putting out a budget we know is not going to pass.
“After receiving billions of dollars of federal money, we have to prepare ourselves for the fact that the nation and the Commonwealth are severely indebted, and we need to start getting our financial house in order. This budget is not the way to do it,” Ryan said.
The governor’s budget marks the official start of the annual budget process. Budget hearings begin next week in the General Assembly and a final budget is due on or before June 30.
Representative Frank Ryan
101st Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Donna Pinkham
717.260.6452
dpinkham@pahousegop.com
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