State budget talks are being kept quiet this week as Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf plans to meet with top Republican lawmakers without the press lurking outside.
The governor’s office said Monday the coming meetings will be smaller and more low-profile in an attempt to get closer to a deal.
Spokesman Jeffrey Sheridan said the impromptu hallway press conferences that have punctuated so many meetings over the past several weeks haven’t been helpful. The state spending plan is already two months late.
Wolf hasn’t answered a GOP offer to trade education funding for an overhaul of future pension benefits. Republican House Majority Leader Dave Reed all but threw up his hands last week when the governor remained noncommittal on the proposal.
“He’s had a week,” Reed said. “He’s got 30,000 state employees to help him get an answer to these questions for goodness’ sakes. If he can’t get them in a week, I don’t know when he anticipates getting them.”
Schools, social service agencies and other contractors have seen their state funding dry up during the budget impasse. To get money flowing again, state Rep. Gene DiGirolamo (R-Bucks) is proposing a short-term funding measure.
The Wolf administration has opposed similar moves, fearing they could remove the impetus to come to a final agreement on state spending.
