And today, I want to be clear with each member of the General Assembly, and with – every Pennsylvanian about the actions we must take to resolve this crisis, and the – consequences we will all face if we don’t. II. This is about math be very clear about the nature of the problem. First, let’s The problem is not that Republicans in the General Assembly and I don’t see eye-to-eye. After all, Pennsylvanians are used to seeing political leaders disagree, even strongly. And in the 2014 election, they chose divided government: a Democratic Governor, a Republican legislature. I doubt anyone was surprised when it turned out that we had different priorities. No, this crisis is not about politics at all. This is about math. Pennsylvania now faces a $2 billion budget deficit. not a Democratic fact or a Republican a fact. That’s fact. It’s just a fact supported by Standard and an independent rating agency. They have It’s Poor’s – done the math. And they agree: Pennsylvania faces a massive structural deficit that will only continue to grow if we fail to address it responsibly. This deficit just a future. It is a time isn’t cloud hanging over Pennsylvania’s long-term bomb, ticking away, right now, even as I speak. If it explodes if the people in this chamber allow it to explode then Pennsylvania will – – experience a fiscal catastrophe the likes of which we have never seen. Please understand: We are not talking about a long-term budget projection. We are talking about Pennsylvania failing to meet its basic obligations this year. We are talking – about pain that will be felt across our Commonwealth. This year. If the General Assembly does not approve a responsible plan to solve this crisis, every Pennsylvanian will suffer the consequences. Those consequences will be real. They will be immediate. They will be severe. Nearly three-quarters of Pennsylvania homeowners will see their already-too-high property taxes skyrocket even further. If a member of this body were to stand up and propose a massive property tax increase, he or she would be booed off the floor by Democrats and Republicans alike. But in fact, that is exactly what will happen if we do not act.
And today, I want to be clear – with each member of the General Assembly, and with every Pennsylvanian – about the actions we must take to resolve this crisis, and the consequences we will all face if we don’t. II. This is about math First, let’s be very clear about the nature of the problem. The problem is not that Republicans in the General Assembly and I don’t see eye-to-eye. After all, Pennsylvanians are used to seeing political leaders disagree, even strongly. And in the 2014 election, they chose divided government: a Democratic Governor, a Republican legislature. I doubt anyone was surprised when it turned out that we had different priorities. No, this crisis is not about politics at all. This is about math. Pennsylvania now faces a $2 billion budget deficit. That’s not a Democratic fact or a Republican fact. It’s just a fact. It’s a fact supported by Standard and Poor’s – an independent rating agency. They have done the math. And they agree: Pennsylvania faces a massive structural deficit that will only continue to grow if we fail to address it responsibly. This deficit isn’t just a cloud hanging over Pennsylvania’s long-term future. It is a time bomb, ticking away, right now, even as I speak. If it explodes – if the people in this chamber allow it to explode – then Pennsylvania will experience a fiscal catastrophe the likes of which we have never seen. Please understand: We are not talking about a long-term budget projection. We are talking about Pennsylvania failing to meet its basic obligations – this year. We are talking about pain that will be felt across our Commonwealth. This year. If the General Assembly does not approve a responsible plan to solve this crisis, every Pennsylvanian will suffer the consequences. Those consequences will be real. They will be immediate. They will be severe. Nearly three-quarters of Pennsylvania homeowners will see their already-too-high property taxes skyrocket even further. If a member of this body were to stand up and propose a massive property tax increase, he or she would be booed off the floor by Democrats and Republicans alike. But in fact, that is exactly what will happen if we do not act.
Governor%20Wolf%202016-2017%20Budget%20Address.docx