Nov. 12, 2025
HARRISBURG – Rep. Seth Grove (R-Dover) said the budget approved by the General Assembly today does not address the state’s structural deficit. He issued the following statement:
“The budget approved today fails to address longstanding spending issues in Pennsylvania and marches the state toward a nearly $7 billion tax increase. This is a problem that must be addressed before it is too late. At some point, unless spending is cut or revenues increase, Pennsylvanians will be hit with drastic, painful tax hikes.
“Despite great efforts by Republicans in the General Assembly to curb Gov. Josh Shapiro’s spending plan by $1.5 billion, the approved $50.1 billion budget spends $2.5 billion over the previous fiscal year. This rate of spending is not sustainable.
“This budget also destroys true school choice by once again cutting funding to cyber charter schools for the second year in a row and provides zero alternatives tor York County students.
“I was very glad to see some of my initiatives included in the budget. One requires the Department of Human Services (DHS) to conduct a review of SNAP accounts to screen for account balances greater than $2,000. Another brings foundational changes to improve the integrity of benefits programs by requiring DHS to check death certificates with the Department of Health’s Bureau of Vital Statistics against its recipients of Medical Assistance and SNAP, requires DHS to check income and employment records with the Department of Labor and Industry against recipients of Medical Assistance and SNAP, and DHS must report how lottery winnings and the value of automobiles calculates into benefit recipient eligibility. These measures will weed out fraud and will save taxpayers for years to come.
“Thanks to efforts by Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill, reforms to the permitting process were included in the budget. These measures will improve economic growth opportunities and increase our economic competitiveness all while holding bureaucrats accountable.
“Unfortunately, there were too many negative measures in the budget for me to vote in favor.”
Representative Seth Grove
196th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Greg Gross
717.260.6374
ggross@pahousegop.com
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