Ward Blasts Rendell, House for Budget Impasse

(Harrisburg, Pa) Senator Kim Ward (R-39th) Tuesday blasted Governor Rendell and the Democrat-controlled State House for failing to pass a budget by the constitutionally mandated June 30 deadline.

"This is a sad day for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The State Legislature has a constitutional duty to pass a budget by June 30 of each year and, once again, Governor Rendell and the leadership of the House Democrats have failed the Constitution and the people of Pennsylvania. I know that many legislators have seen this before, but I have not, and can't believe this is how our government in Harrisburg works," she said.

"I voted on a budget that was passed by the Senate at the beginning of May. Here we are, eight weeks later, sitting in Harrisburg waiting for the House to pass their version of a budget. The Democrat-controlled House has sat idle while Gov. Rendell has spent the weeks between then and now traveling across the state trying to tell people that raising your taxes in dire economic times is a good thing. And by the way, you paid for those trips," she added.

"And who suffers because of the Governor's failure? State employees who are being held hostage by Governor Rendell and required to work without a paycheck, non-profit agencies and school districts that need to formulate budgets for next year, and Pennsylvanians who continue to lose faith in their elected leaders because they have once again failed to do their most basic job," she said.

Ward urged Governor Rendell to listen to the citizens of the Commonwealth.

"This isn't a chess game; these are real people with mortgages and car payments," she said, adding, "Please stop playing games and pass a responsible budget."