HARRISBURG — Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason released the following statement regarding the Pennsylvania budget signed by Governor Ed Rendell:
“The budget that was signed by Governor Ed Rendell, while far better than the outrageous $29 billion plan he originally proposed, still spends too much. Governor Ed Rendell and House Democrats continue to talk about how our Commonwealth has a revenue problem, but the fact is that we are still suffering from overspending. This budget increases spending by $250 million over last year’s budget and is dependent upon federal funding that we are not guaranteed to actually receive.
“Since taking office in 2002, Governor Ed Rendell has increased spending in Pennsylvania by over 35%, so it is not surprising that our Commonwealth’s revenues have not matched his insatiable appetite to spend our tax dollars.
“Republicans in the state Senate and House should be commended for cutting the Governor’s original budget proposal by $1 billion. It is difficult job keeping this Governor and Democratically-controlled state House reigned in and our Republican legislators represented their constituents well by pushing for a budget that does not increase taxes or fees on Pennsylvania families who are already struggling.
“Our state has a long way to go to get back on track and the first step will be electing Tom Corbett Governor and getting Republicans back in majority control of the state House. Tom Corbett understands that Pennsylvania must start living within its means and that will only start when we reign in the out-of-control spending of the failed Rendell administration.”
The chart below graphs the totals from Governor Schweiker’s last budget in the 2002-03 fiscal year and each of the successive spending plan passed during Governor Ed Rendell’s term. This graph illustrates just how out-of-control and unsustainable spending was during Rendell’s term as our state’s fiscal operating budget increased by nearly $8 billion or over 35% of where we were during the last Republican administration.
Budget Totals:
- 2002-03: $20,695,750,000
- 2003-04: $21,400,000,000
- 2004-05: $22,800,000,000
- 2005-06: $24,300,000,000
- 2006-07: $26,100,000,000
- 2007-08: $27,200,000,000
- 2008-09: $28,300,000,000
- 2009-10: $27,800,000,000
- 2010-11: $28,000,000,000
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