Mar. 07, 2023
HARRISBURG – Rep. Natalie Mihalek (R-Allegheny/Washington) issued the below statement following Tuesday’s budget address:
“Today, Gov. Josh Shapiro delivered a budget address full of commitments to commonsense reforms and a desire to set politics aside to get things done for the people of Pennsylvania. I want to work with him on opening the doors of opportunity for Pennsylvania students regardless of ZIP code, declaring Pennsylvania open for business, and lowering costs for families weathering the storm of inflation. He even spoke of my birthplace, noting that we need to come together and stop the senseless violence that has overtaken the streets of McKeesport.
“His plans are ambitious and something we should strive for as elected leaders. But the devil is in the details and I have concerns about the overall spending number. In recent years, I have been part of conservative-led budgets that included historic contributions to Pennsylvania’s Rainy Day Fund without raising taxes. Sadly, this budget would spend that fund, as well as our budgetary reserves, down to nothing within five years. That’s $13 billion that should be used for emergencies, not new programs. This year alone, his budget would increase spending by 6% over the current year’s $43 billion budget.
“While the proposed budget aims to do some great things, such as helping 800 more Pennsylvanians waiting for disability services, cleaning up inefficiencies in our overly burdensome permitting process and incentivizing large and small business entrepreneurs to do business in Pennsylvania, I have serious concerns about the increased spending and no mention of cutting programs that don’t work.
“As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I am looking forward to taking a deep dive into this budget proposal and finding ways where we can come together and get things done for the people of Pennsylvania.”
Representative Natalie Mihalek
40th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Jordan Frei
724.875.8450
jfrei@pahousegop.com
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