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WILKES-BARRE — Pennsylvania’s budget battle is far from over.

Gov. Tom Wolf Tuesday rejected the Republican budget that he said cuts $95 million from education and is “out-of-balance,” while directing some $23 billion in emergency funding for key services.

Wolf said Republican leaders last week walked away from a historic bipartisan budget agreement and passed “an irresponsible budget so they could return home to their districts and take holiday vacations.”

“I’m vetoing the Republican plan to cut $95 million from education, and I’m also vetoing other items that they don’t pay for,” Wolf said in a news release. “I’m calling on our legislators to get back to Harrisburg — back to the work they left unfinished last week. At the same time, I’m allowing emergency funding for our schools to get out. I’m also letting funding go out to our human service agencies and to our counties. But this is on an emergency basis only.”

Wolf said his action is a way to express the outrage all Pennsylvanians should feel about “the garbage the Republican legislative leaders have tried to dump on us.” He said the budget is wrong for Pennsylvania.

“And our legislators — the folks we elected to serve us — need to own up to this,” Wolf said. “They need to do their jobs. This budget is wrong for so many reasons, but especially because it does not balance, increases our deficit and fails to invest in our schools and our future.”

State Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, D-Wilkes-Barre, said, despite funding being released to schools, counties and human service agencies, Pennsylvania is still without a fiscally responsible budget.

“The governor’s action to line-item veto was a result of the Republicans failing to put the people of Pennsylvania first and pass a real budget,” Pashinski said. “We need to pass a real budget that actually pays our bills, appropriately funds our schools, addresses our budget debt and puts Pennsylvania on a stable and fiscally responsible foundation for this year and next.”

Pashinski said that real budget was presented last week in the House and ready for a vote when the Republicans “up and left Harrisburg without finishing their job,” a decision Pashinski called “irresponsible and reckless.”

State Sen. John Yudichak, D-Plymouth Township, said it would not be fair to offer a comment until a responsible review can be made of the budget action taken by the governor.

“Clearly, however, every taxpayer is tired of the political posturing from all parties in this budget mess, and they deserve a bipartisan, fiscally sound budget that tackles property tax relief, pension reform and sustainable investments in job creation,” Yudichak said.

Yudichak’s Republican counterpart in the Senate, Lisa Baker, R-Lehman Township, said from her standpoint, passage of the partial state budget was not designed to be the end of the process.

“This was an emergency move that at least ends the disruption and uncertainty for the majority of program providers and service recipients who can begin receiving badly needed state and federal funding, now six months overdue,” Baker said. “There still appears to be substantial negotiation required to reach agreement on final spending levels, revenues to support that spending, formulas for distributing money fairly and the biggest challenge of all, pension reform.”

Despite some forward movement, State Rep. Gerald Mullery, D-Newport Township, said he is “completely and utterly embarrassed” by the budget impasse.

“I have been working since I was 12 years old and have never experienced an environment like this,” Mullery said. “Whether it was in my father’s sporting goods store or in the legal field, there has always been a sense of working together for the greater good or accomplishment. That sentiment seems not to exist in Harrisburg right now. Ideologies and a desire to score a ‘political win’ have been placed ahead of doing what is in the best interest of the Commonwealth.”

Mullery said it is “unacceptable” for the House to adjourn before finishing the job. He agrees with the governor that legislators must return to Harrisburg immediately to finalize the process.

While relieved that emergency state and federal funding has been released to schools and human services agencies, State Rep. Mike Carroll, D-Avoca, applauded the governor’s demand for the General Assembly to return to Harrisburg to approve a balanced budget.

“We cannot ignore the fact that the budget approved last week does not balance, that it would have ensured immediate property tax increases across the state and it would continue the downgrading of our state’s bonds,” Carroll said. “It is long past time to reach a budget compromise that ignores rigid ideological positions.”

State Rep. Karen Boback, R-Harveys Lake, said Wolf “finally” heard the cries from the legislature and has recognized the need “to save our schools and human service agencies.” She said after six months, Wolf has recognized the state’s most vulnerable populations should not be held hostage.

“This impasse is about tax increases,” Boback said. “The people of this Commonwealth cannot afford broad-based tax increases. The taxpayers need to be informed about how the governor is paying for the promises he’s made.”

Boback said in June, the House sent a fair budget to Wolf that was vetoed immediately.

“Since then, I have voted several times to release funding to schools and human service agencies,” she said. “I have voted for budgets to end this deadlock. This budget stalemate needs to be resolved now. It is time to put the name-calling behind us and move forward to provide a reasonable budget.”

State Rep. Aaron Kaufer, R-Kingston, said only in Harrisburg can a $400 million increase in pre-k through 12th grade education funding be spun as a cut.

“The governor’s math doesn’t add up, and his misleading and inflammatory campaign rhetoric is not helpful,” Kaufer said. “The fact is that the budget we put on his desk included historic levels of funding for education. Labeling historic increases in education funding as a cut is a very disingenuous attempt to resurrect old talking points.”

Kaufer said it’s time to get back to work on a reasonable budget that has bipartisan support.

State Rep. Tarah Toohil, R-Butler Township, is glad the governor did not veto the entire budget.

“Over the past six months, we have had a vetoed June 30 budget, vetoed emergency funding, failed line item veto overrides and this last budget was almost fully vetoed again by the governor,” she said. “Today, vital education and human services money is being released to those who need it most.”

Toohil wishes all of this had happened six months ago, but now progress is being made and “school students who have been held hostage will no longer be part of the political gamesmanship in Harrisburg.”

Toohil looks forward to returning to Harrisburg to vote on other parts of the original budget framework. She said she will continue fighting for property tax relief, as well as for pension reform.

Pashinski
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_Pashinski-4.jpg.optimal.jpgPashinski

Carroll
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_Carroll.jpg.optimal.jpgCarroll

Wolf
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_Wolf-3.jpg.optimal.jpgWolf

Mullery
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_Jerry-Mullery.jpg.optimal.jpgMullery

Yudichak
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_Yudichak-John-1.jpg.optimal.jpgYudichak

Baker
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_LISABAKERNEW.jpg.optimal.jpgBaker

Boback
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_Boback_Karen_toned.jpg.optimal.jpgBoback

Kaufer
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_Kaufer.jpg.optimal.jpgKaufer

Toohil
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_TOOHIL.jpg.optimal.jpgToohil

By Bill O’Boyle

[email protected]

Reach Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.