Trending
Lycoming County's lawmakers in the General Assembly were divided over the compromise budget signed by Gov. Josh Shapiro Monday, with state Rep. Jamie Flick, R-South Williamsport, voting yes and state Rep. Joe Hamm, R-Hepburn Township, voting no.
The budget passed the state House on a 167-35 vote. From surrounding communities, state Rep. Clint Owlett, R-Liberty, and state Rep. Tina Pickett, R-Towanda, voted yes while state Rep. Stephanie Borowicz, R-McElhattan, voted no.
"In the past, I've long explained the decision‑making we as lawmakers must consider when casting our votes," Flick said, according to a news release from his office. "This budget once again caused me to go back and forth. I ultimately decided to vote 'yes' on it because House Republicans spent months negotiating for significant improvements. Let's start with the amount the budget spends, which is $50.8 billion. That number is $2.5 billion less than what was originally proposed and while it's still too high, it does demonstrate some fiscal responsibility."
"Before I ever take a vote, I ask myself one simple question - does this benefit the hard-working people of Lycoming and Sullivan counties and our rural region? Farmers, seniors, small business owners and all Pennsylvanians don't have the luxury of spending more than they bring in and certainly not deferring payment of their bills," Hamm said, according to a news release from the state House Republican Caucus. "The approved 2026-2027 budget spends billions more than the state will receive in revenue and defers Medicaid payments of over $1.3 Billion. In total the budget spends $50.8 Billion and with the $1.3 Billion in Medicaid balloons to nearly $52.2 Billion. Disingenuous politicians will tell you it is a $50.8 Billion budget, but they will conveniently leave out the deferred Medicaid payments, one-time special fund transfers, and the one-time gimmicks and shell games included in this budget."
"The budget we were presented with and passed yesterday resolved critical concerns we had when the governor introduced his proposal in February," said a statement from state Rep. Clint Owlett, R-Liberty, and state Rep. Tina Pickett, R-Towanda. "This budget brought spending down to $50.8 billion while avoiding new taxes for Pennsylvanians and leaving the state's Rainy Day Fund intact. However, this was certainly not a budget we would have written ourselves and demonstrates how compromise serves an imperative role in the budgeting process."
"This state budget continues irresponsible levels of spending and the use of accounting gimmicks - such as not paying our bills during the current fiscal year - and one-time sources of funding to make things appear to be balanced," said Borowicz, according to a news release from the state House Republican Caucus. "This budget pushes our structural deficit to $4.8 billion. That means when it comes time to do a budget next year, we'll be faced with having to spend down the state's Rainy Day Fund or raise taxes because we're running out of tricks to pay for the state's uncontrolled spending. This is unsustainable and does a disservice to Pennsylvania taxpayers."