Rushed Process Results in Detrimental Budget, Barger Says

HARRISBURG - When House Democrats pushed through the framework for a 2025-26 state budget today, they did so with only a few hours for lawmakers to review the measure and with the knowledge it will meet strong resistance in the GOP-controlled Senate, according to Rep. Scott Barger (R-Blair/Huntingdon). Barger voted "no" on House Bill 1330 because he feels it spends too much and ignores what he considers to be critical Republican priorities. "Our PA Prosperity Plan lays out how to balance the state budget by cutting waste, creating jobs and unleashing Pennsylvania's energy economy," Barger said. "The Democrats ignored all of that and doubled down on spending money we don't have. "They passed a budget that's almost as irresponsible as the governor's and called it a fair compromise," Barger added, "but I call it a dumpster fire. It spends money we don't have on programs that aren't working." Barger criticized fellow legislators for dragging budget talks past the June 30 deadline. He said entities that receive state funding (such as libraries, school districts and human service agencies) remain in limbo while the General Assembly repeatedly cancels session days in which work could be accomplished. "House Democrats think the road to prosperity is paved with foolish spending. They want to increase our deficit spending by almost 50%. It's asinine," he said. Representative Scott Barger 80th Legislative District Pennsylvania House of Representatives Media Contact: Jennifer Fitch 717-260-6563 jfitch@pahousegop.com RepBarger.com / facebook.com/RepBarger

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