HARRISBURG – Some area lawmakers reacted to PA’s approved budget.
Lancaster County Rep. Bryan Cutler released a statement saying, “Pennsylvania receives a budget that keeps its fiscal future secure. This budget, while increasing spending from last year, does not take any money from our Rainy Day Fund, protecting Pennsylvania’s finances. I do not love everything in this budget, but the wins outweigh the losses, and this budget will move Pennsylvania forward in a positive direction.”
York County Rep. Joe D’Orsie issued a statement after casting his “no” vote on the measure. “Although this year’s budget package includes some key wins for Pennsylvanians, like the bona-fide withdrawal from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), substantive permitting reform, and an increase in economically disadvantaged schools scholarship monies, in the end I could not support a budget that spends nearly $6 billion more than projected revenues. All things considered, and despite my opposition to major pieces of this package, I am pleased that the General Assembly finally delivered a budget, albeit several months late.”
Lancaster County Sen. James Malone applauded the passage saying that budget “works toward fulfilling our constitutional obligation to fairly fund our schools without raising taxes on Pennsylvanians, similar to Gov. Shapiro’s proposal in February. It also doesn’t dip into our Rainy Day Fund. I’m proud of the bipartisan compromise it represents, but I’m disappointed by how late it arrived. We must work to deliver a budget on time next year.”
York County Rep. Wendy Fink voted against the budget saying, “When I took office in 2023, I promised the residents of District 94 that I would never agree to a budget that spends beyond our means. Despite some Republican policy wins outlined in the final compromise, I still had to honor that promise and vote ‘no.’ Government must learn from those it serves and budget within the state’s means. No budget is perfect, but my constituents deserve and expect better of their elected officials.”
REP. WENDY FINK
SEN. JAMES MALONE
REP. JOE D’ORSIE
REP. BRYAN CUTLER