HARRISBURG, September 29, 2015: State Senator Art Haywood made the following statement today following Governor Tom Wolf’s veto of the Republican stopgap budget:

“Today, Governor Wolf stood up to the recklessness of the Republican stopgap budget with a veto. I stand with the Governor. We need an annual budget that moves Pennsylvania forward, not more of the same failed policies pushing our commonwealth backwards.

The Senate Republican annual budget would punish hardworking people by moving the middle-class into poverty and denying low-income families the opportunity to move ahead. The Republican stopgap budget would do the same.

In fact, the GOP’s stopgap budget is worse than their annual budget proposal because it relies on funding we do not have. This kind of fiscal foolishness would lead to deeper financial struggles for the state, downgrading our credit and increasing our interest. Furthermore, the stopgap budget includes no solution to address the impasse on the state’s annual budget. It just kicks the can of negotiating a thoughtful budget down the road.

The concoction of policies implemented by Republicans over the past four years – and proposed by Republican leadership this year – will keep us on the path of high interest rates, ballooning incarceration costs, uncompetitive labor, and a retirement crisis.

The Republican stopgap budget was a demand for Governor Wolf to cave in to the reckless Republican annual budget for several months – with no guarantee it would not be extended for the entire year. The Governor was right to protect our commonwealth by vetoing such a proposal.”

###

Contact: Melissa Ostroff

215-242-8171

mostroff@pasenate.com