GOP stymies Pa. budget process

ISSUE | PA. BUDGET

Stymied by the GOP

The Republican stopgap budget is yet another gimmick that shortchanges the people of Pennsylvania. Republicans in Harrisburg have become too comfortable with politics as usual, and the stopgap they passed embraces a failed status quo that is preventing Pennsylvania from moving forward.

The Republican legislature has passed fiscally irresponsible budgets for four years. We are facing a multibillion-dollar deficit and are trying to recover from numerous credit downgrades.

Statewide, schools have been suffering from drastic funding cuts, and hardworking families have been footing the bill through soaring property taxes. Meanwhile, oil and gas companies have been let off the hook, as the Republicans have refused to pass a commonsense severance tax.

At every turn, Republicans have refused to work with the governor to create a serious, no-nonsense budget that works for our commonwealth.

It's past time for a comprehensive plan that moves Pennsylvania forward.

|Jeffrey Sheridan, press secretary for Gov. Wolf, Harrisburg