Sep. 29, 2023
HARRISBURG – House Republican Appropriations Chairman Seth Grove (R-York) expressed outrage that Secretary of the Budget, Uri Monson, has once again failed to perform the basic duties of his office.
“Budget Secretary Uri Monson is robbing the taxpayers,” Grove said. “By arbitrarily calculating the amount to be transferred into the Rainy Day Fund instead of following procedures that are well-defined and explicitly specified in state law, Monson is underfunding this vital government account by $486.7 million dollars!”
This is now the second time in the first nine months of the Shapiro Administration that the Secretary has failed to perform the basic duties of his office. In April, the Secretary failed to reasonably account for any state gaming funds that the Commonwealth would realize from the operation of slot machines in the ensuing six-month period. This resulted in a certification of the Property Tax Relief Fund that was more than $200 million less than the actual amount that would eventually become available, reducing meaningful property tax relief for all Pennsylvania homeowners located across our state.
“When Shapiro took office, I had great hopes with a new sheriff in the budget office we could achieve great things but, instead, what we got is the ‘Sheriff of Robbingham’,” Grove stated. “I don’t know if this is incompetence, willful disregard for the law, or an attempt to create a controversy, and frankly, I don’t care. He should put the full $898.3 million in the Rainy Day Fund rather than his made up $411.6 million number.”
“As government officials our job is to follow the law, period. If you don’t like the law, change it,” Grove declared. “I’m calling on the Governor to step in and fix this mistake.”
The Official Expenditure Symbol Notification Memo
can be found here.
Representative Seth Grove 196th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Charlie O’Neill 717.260.6121
coneill@pahousegop.com / RepGrove.com / Facebook.com/RepSethGrove