With the state’s budget stalemate creeping into its third month, Gov. Tom Wolf and GOP leaders are changing their ways.
On Tuesday, Wolf invited Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman and House Majority Leader Dave Reed to his official residence in the capital, hoping to make some headway without cumbersome staff around, according to an Associated Press report.
“The path that negotiations have been on have not been productive,” Wolf’s spokesman Jeff Sheridan told Marc Levy of the AP. “I think there’s been a lot of people in the room, a lot going on outside the room.”
After the meeting, Reed said no offer or progress was made, though he said GOP legislators are still waiting for an answer on their “take it or leave it” proposal. The “one-time offer” has been on Wolf’s desk for two weeks.
Republicans offered concessions on their original pensions plans laid out in Senate Bill 1, while also offering Wolf an additional $400 million for education funding, though it was unclear where that money would come from.
The heat may be turned up on lawmakers soon, as Auditor General Eugene DePasquale has said he will track the impact of the months-long budget posturing on the state’s education system.
One Response
Is Governor Chromedome offering rides in his jeep to House and Senate leaders? That may help move budget negotiations.