State Rep. Kathy Rapp, R-Warren, is blasting the budget bill approved recently largely along party lines in the state House of Representatives.

Earlier this week House Democrats passed House Bill 1330, an incomplete spending bill for the 2025-26 state fiscal year. House Bill 1330 passed the House with a vote of 105-97, with three Republicans voting alongside Democrats and one member on leave.

“The details of this budget plan were not revealed until three hours before voting on it,” Rapp said. “That did not give us enough time to review an enormous amount of information about how the state plans to spend your tax dollars. This product was not even agreed to by Republicans or the governor. A budget plan without proper negotiation is just a waste of time. While there are parts of this plan I could support, I can’t vote on a budget before seeing the full picture. Even without seeing the details, this plan still spends more money than we’re bringing in. This budget is unsustainable without significant economic growth. When Gov. Shapiro came into office, the state had more than $13 billion in reserves. By the time this fiscal year ends, the number will be cut in half.”

Republican Appropriations chair Jim Struzzi of Indiana called the bill a necessary step forward given the delays in the legislature, but he urged his caucus to vote against the bill, according to The Center Square, while Minority Leader Rep. Jesse Topper, R-Bedford, agreed with Struzzi. He emphasized that “it’s public policy that will drive economic growth in Pennsylvania.”

Specifically, policy points Republicans want to see prioritized are deregulation in the energy sector that would allow the state to “unleash” its massive natural gas reserves and other fossil fuel resources. Topper also advocated for “benefits integrity” to ensure social safety nets are getting to those who need it most, and school choice funding.

The Center Square reported Democrats said that they have listened to their colleagues across the aisle in cutting a billion dollars from the budget proposed by Gov. Josh Shapiro in February. The House budget also doesn’t deal with education funding – one of the biggest state expenses.

“So, to balance the books, we have three options,” Rapp said. “We could raise taxes, reduce the amount of spending or ramp up our economy. We can ramp up our economy by unleashing Pennsylvania’s energy potential, cutting down on government waste, fraud and abuse, and supporting a student-centered education. These are not new ideas. House Republicans have been fighting for these issues since the start of this budget process, but the plan House Democrats concocted doesn’t move the needle on any of these. Democrats keep talking about compromise, but Republican ideas don’t see the light of day in this plan. It’s highly unlikely the Senate will pass it in this form. While they rushed to get this bill to a vote yesterday, all this amounts to is a ‘hurry up and wait’ budget plan.”