Feb. 06, 2024
HARRISBURG – Rep. Eric Nelson (R-Westmoreland) issued the below statement following the governor’s 2024-25 budget address:
“Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget opens the barn doors and shouts ‘Spend! Spend! Spend!’ across just about every government agency. His plan hitches our wagon to more sin taxes by embracing recreational marijuana, expanded gambling and even blows through more state savings. By intentionally overspending hundreds of millions of dollars, and using one-time savings for recurring costs, Gov. Shapiro is setting the stage for a massive tax increase on working families. I agree with his proposals for economic development, improvements in senior care, and enhancing our state police but we MUST live within our means, prioritize programs and be balanced in our budget.
“Revamping higher education funding is a priority for me and I am glad to see the governor taking the subject seriously. Today’s speech didn’t go into the details of his plan. But I will certainly be ready to engage and work toward making higher education more affordable. That said, I am skeptical about a plan that spends more without correcting problems.
“Spending responsibly is not a partisan issue, but make no mistake, the money that Gov. Shapiro is wanting to spend is the result of more than a decade of fiscal leadership, when the General Assembly insisted that we save money in our reserves and in our Rainy Day Fund. Today’s proposal spends the greater portion of those funds on new government programs that will need annual funding. That will all but guarantee a tax increase in the coming years.”
Representative Eric Nelson
57th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives