Northhampton News

Pennsylvania State Sen. Bob Mensch, R-24th, said lawmakers “won’t let” Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposed $43.7 billion 2022-23 state budget happen, claiming it would create too much of a debt burden for taxpayers.

Wolf delivered his budget address on Feb 8, which laid out a $43.7-billion state budget for 2023-24, including a proposed increase of nearly $2 billion for education instruction, according to The Associated Press. Democrats responded with criticism to the nearly 13 percent increase, as did Mensch.

“Gov. Wolf’s final budget proposal would increase spending by $4.5 billion, produce a $1.3 billion deficit for FY 2023-24 and a $13 billion deficit for 2026-27,” Mensch said in a tweet posted following Wolf’s address. “We won’t let that happen.”

In his address, Wolf touted the state’s fiscal fortunes since he took office, in which he claimed to turn a $2-3 billion structural budget deficit into a $2-3 billion surplus.

“We are no longer digging out of a hole. We’re ready to build,” Wolf said in his address. “And this year’s budget does exactly that, making new investments that will build a brighter future for Pennsylvania families.”

Wolf also proposed raising the state’s minimum wage to $12, saying that neighboring states give workers a better salary.

“Pennsylvania’s minimum wage is still stuck at $7.25. Pennsylvanians haven’t gotten a raise in 13 years. Adjusted for inflation, they’ve actually taken a $2 an hour pay cut,” he said in his speech. “We are literally surrounded by states that are giving minimum wage workers a better deal. This is embarrassing. And just like school funding, refusing to address the problem won’t make it go away."

In a news release from his office, State Sen. Dan Laughlin, D-49th, said that while Wolf’s plan adds funds to public school instruction, it also eliminates funding for Northern Pennsylvania Regional College, which Laughlin said is a major mistake.

“Gov. Wolf zeroes out the funding of the (NPRC), an institution that offers a convenient, affordable and needed college opportunity for students throughout our northern Pennsylvania communities,” Laughlin said in the release. 

“I will do everything I can to ensure not only that funding continues to flow to NPRC, but that our commonwealth gets a state budget that meets the core responsibilities of government without creating more financial problems for every Pennsylvanian,” he added.