Jul. 12, 2024
HARRISBURG – Rep. Bud Cook (R-Greene/Washington) issued the following statement regarding enactment of a $47.6 billion budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year:
“At a time when so many people are struggling with inflation, we should not be growing the cost of government. This budget spends about $3.3 billion more than we expect to collect in revenues this fiscal year. That means it requires using one-time surplus funds to balance, and when that surplus runs out in the next two years or so, we will be faced with a significant increase in taxes. Our citizens simply cannot afford to send more of their hard-earned money to Harrisburg.
“While there are certainly elements of the budget I could support, including investments in our schools, I could not vote for this plan knowing its long-term impacts on taxpayers and our state’s economy.”