Though this year’s budget is now seven months late, Gov. Tom Wolf is gearing up to lay out his budgetary vision for 2016-17.
In an interview on KDKA Morning News Tuesday, the second-year Governor warned that the next budget could do even more damage to the state’s financial health, if it comes to his desk unbalanced.
“We have a train wreck coming,” Wolf told KDKA. “My insistence on getting it right on the ‘15-16 budget is because we are facing, in 2016-17, a huge hole.”
It is not the first time Wolf is warning about the multi-billion-dollar structural deficits the state faces, but lawmakers are quickly running out of time to turn around the sinking ship.
“If we don’t fix the budget deficit by ‘16-17, there are going to be huge cuts in education and huge cuts in local services, so that local taxes are going to go up and services are going to decline,” Wolf said. “So we need a real balanced budget, we need some honesty, we need fiscal responsibility. It’s not just me saying this, it’s the rest of the world looking at Pennsylvania.”
Wolf’s first budget fight has been one for the history books. In his first year, the Governor vetoed several GOP-proposed budgets before approving a partial $23 billion spending plan at the end of December.
Wolf has insisted on “historic” increases in education funding and roughly $1 billion in new taxes to fix the state’s bottom line, while GOP leaders want to see liquor privatization and pension reform as part of the final agreement.
After 211 days without a budget, “negotiations” have ground to a halt, threatening any chance of progress on either budget.
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13 Responses
Wolf Rendell and Corbett have destroyed Pennsylvania We will need 10 Billion new Dollars to Balance the Budget that mean 10 Billion in New Taxes . They will Tax everything they will even put a Sales Tax on every share of Stock sold and every Bond sold . You will have to pay so much in new taxes that you will not be able to afford to Live in Pennsylvania anymore
I’m a college student and because of this I haven’t received some of my state loans which were accepted in my financial aid package before the fiscal year came to a close. I currently owe more money than I should to receive my college education. I accepted the terms of my financial package with the understanding that this budget would come through. Now I along with millions of students in Pennsylvania are in more debt because of the inefficiencies of this Governor. Seven proposals and all shot down because he is only for his agenda. I personally request his resignation from office, for his failure to lead and for his failure to compromise while putting students in this state in a very, very difficult situation.
The train wrecked when you became Governor. How is AG Kane doin?
Come on..raise the state inc tax…raise the sales tax…I want to pay more…oh I don’t work and I shop in Delaware…yeah baby raise those taxes…
If GOP legislature were not beholden to big energy, they’d pass reasonable gas severance tax and be done with budget deficit.
Wolf keeps this up and he’ll join the One-Term Tom Club in 2018.
The Republican leaders in the House\Senate are beholden to the gas industry , the business community, and the choice -in-education lobby. They are using monies raised from the $.50 hike of the gasoline tax to help fund the cost of state police costs rather than for road\bridge repair. They are clueless as to how to properly raise revenues to provide for a “thorough and efficient” public education for the next generation. Wolf needs a Democratically controlled legislature to move our Commonwealth forward. We, the People need our elected representatives to work for us rather than their corporate donors. Give the corporate lackeys their pink slips in November 2017!
What are you talking about Wolf screwed the unions and all that elected him… He cares about two things and two things only. Getting his own way no matter how wrong he is. And pouring money into his Wolfpack buddies pockets…. Heck hire another one…
Gov. Wolf has nothing to show for his first year in office. He is TERRIBLE at governing. Hello governor, you cannot campaign all 4 years in office!
The state does have a structural deficit, this will need to be addressed in the 16-17 budget. How about we have single issue legislation on tax increase, such as, natural gas severance tax, PIT, SUT, and see which are viable options on their own? We need to fix pensions immediately and it should not be held hostage for payoffs to unions that Wolf owes to special interest groups.
Train Wreck… Yes in deed. As long as Wolfpack is there. You failed us even in Snow. Or was that someone else’s fault too?????
Everything is someone else’s fault. Look in the mirror -the buck stops with you.. And your Pack.
Exactly-
You must be confuse with the fists full of dollars the oil/gas industry is giving legislators to avoid paying a fair severance tax
He’s imagining it is a fistful of taxpayer dollars he doesn’t get to spend because the responsible legislature won’t sign off on his personal income and sales tax hikes.
Ironic picture of Wolf pulling imaginary train whistle before the train wreck.