Wolf spends. A study by Pennsylvania legislators released yesterday, Dec. 3, has revealed that Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration spent $30.4 billion in state and federal money from July 1 through Oct. 31, despite the last budget authorization ending on June 30.
About $2.7 billion came from waivers, which is unspent money from prior budgets that a governor can request to use by notifying the House and Senate appropriations committees and then obtaining the funds from the Department of Treasury.
More than 77 percent of the administration requests did not disclose the actual dollar amount sought and is characterized as the “governor’s private surplus funds.”
Money that was disclosed included:
• $1,275 paid by the Department of Health to a catering company;
• $600,000 for subscriptions to publications for state agencies;
• $500,000 in membership dues for Wolf administration employees;
“During a budget impasse, spending should be kept to a bare minimum,” said State Rep. Russ Diamond (R-102). “We’ve done so in the legislature, out of respect to the people of this Commonwealth.”
Diamond noted that domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers, other social service agencies, and schools were grasping at straws to make cutbacks, obtain expensive loans, and even contemplating closing their doors..
The Pennsylvania Legislature passed a $30.179 billion budget on June 30 which was vetoed by Wolf. The budget was a 3.6 increase over the previous year.
Wolf also has vetoed a stopgap budget that would have funded these schools and service agencies until other matters get resolved.
Wolf is insisting on a massive tax increase and is unwilling to compromise on issues which would slow the massive growth in the the state’s public spending such as pension reform and ending the prevailing wage mandate.
He is a selfish and short-sighted man.
Wolf Spends Sans Budget
Don’t blame me, I didn’t vote for him.
This man was bad news to start with. And the news keeps getting worse.
Obama clone