Davanzo Issues Response to Governor’s Budget

2/6/2024

HARRISBURG – Rep. Eric Davanzo (R-Westmoreland) issued the below statement following Tuesday’s state budget address:

“Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget proposal today reminded me of when my brother and I created our Christmas lists. We had no idea what anything cost and had no perspective of our family’s income. We just knew what we wanted. The problem is, we aren’t 7-year-olds and Christmas ended more than a month ago.

“Everything Gov. Shapiro is asking for, including his additional $282 million gift to public transit, is funded by raiding the Commonwealth’s budgetary reserves and Rainy Day Fund, which were accrued by responsible budgeting over the last decade. But because he is using that money to fund new government programs, when those dollars are gone, a tax increase in the coming years is almost a certainty.

“A portion of Gov. Shapiro’s new funding is dependent on new tax revenue from the legalization of recreational cannabis. But not only do I have concerns with how that impacts Pennsylvania children, I also believe that Pennsylvania knows it should not count on ‘sin tax’ revenue to fully cure a problem. Slots and table games were pitched that way, and while there have been benefits, they fell way short of what was promised.

“Growing government beyond its means is willfully irresponsible. We have core services that Harrisburg must deliver on, especially in terms of education, public safety and care for seniors. But the taxpayers who fund these services are tapped out and I have no intent to support a budget that invades their incomes.”



Representative Eric Davanzo
58th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives