PA Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 38

‘No whining’ about painful budget cuts, layoffs

By Brad Bumsted
STATE CAPITOL REPORTER / Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Saturday, June 27, 2009

HARRISBURG — Warning of painful budget cuts and layoffs, Gov. Ed Rendell in January said he wanted to hear “no whining.”

But as state government moves toward the end of the fiscal year on Tuesday nowhere near a budget agreement, everyone, including Rendell, appears to be complaining.

The governor warns that enacting an austere Senate Republican budget would mean raising property taxes, closing parks, risking public health and laying off as many as 800 state troopers. Asked whether he’s whining, Rendell said: “No, not at all. It’s painful … but there comes a time when you have to strike a balance.”

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At stake is whether Pennsylvanians pay 16 percent more in state income taxes, as Rendell proposes, endure deeper cuts in services or both.

Rendell has proposed $500 million in spending cuts from his budget proposal — affecting institutions from universities to libraries. Although the cuts might in the end mean less money for some interests, they didn’t reduce the overall $29 billion Rendell wants to spend because they largely were offset by more than $400 million he added to his spending plan last week, to cover what he said were mandatory higher welfare costs caused by the recession.

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Rendell yesterday reiterated his assertion that 800 state troopers would be laid off if lawmakers don’t raise the income tax and the Senate budget becomes law. “The only way to meet that on the operating side is with 800 layoffs,” he said.

A state police spokesman said it’s a “possibility,” but would not offer a number on potential layoffs.

“The department would have to look at all aspects of funding in the budget and any potential federal grants before making decisions on possible reductions in staffing,” said spokesman Jack Lewis.

Rendell’s claims are “scare tactics,” said Bruce Edwards, president of the Pennsylvania Troopers Association. “I think we and the public are being used as a political football. You can never say it can’t happen, but there’s never been a layoff in the history of the state police.”

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