Jul. 11, 2024
HARRISBURG – On Thursday, the House passed a $47.6 billion General Appropriations bill for the 2024-25 fiscal year. This budget represents a 6% spending increase over the prior year. State Rep. David Rowe (R-Snyder/Union/Juniata/Mifflin) cast a “no” vote and shared his concerns in the following statement:
“The agreed-to budget plan drastically overspends, appropriating $3.3 billion more than it takes in which will force the government to turn to taxpayers to foot the bill for its irresponsible spending in as little as three years. It also relies on one-time dollars from the federal government to create new programs and additional bureaucratic bloat.
“I will not support a budget that puts an unnecessary financial burden on the residents of the 85th District. Pennsylvanians across the state are losing their homes to rising property taxes, and some cannot afford food and medication because of skyrocketing inflation. These are necessities. Our children and their grandchildren will be left to pay for the mistakes made today.
“I would have supported the Republican-led Senate’s original proposal to flat fund the budget and pass the savings along to the taxpayers in the form of a $3 billion tax cut, but that proposal was not ultimately brought up for the final vote.”
Rowe emphasized that Pennsylvanians are reaching deep into their pockets at the grocery store, at the gas pump and when paying their utility bills. His constituents follow household budget plans, and he believes state government must do the same and be more responsible with taxpayer dollars. He is an advocate for legislation that would put additional guardrails on tax dollar spending like the Taxpayer Protection Act, which sets a maximum spending increase of 5.5%.
Questions about the budget or any other state-related issue can be directed to Rowe’s office at 570-837-0052.
Representative David Rowe
85th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Katelin Morrison
717.260.6502
kmorrison@pahousegop.com
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