Local Lawmaker and Hatboro-Horsham Grad: Governor Must Stop 'Temper Tantrum'

Pennsylvania State Rep. Todd Stephens (R-PA 151) told Gov. Tom Wolf (D) to “stop the temper tantrum” on Facebook on Monday, referencing statements made in a memo released by the governor’s office.

The focus of Stephens’ ire was on Gov. Wolf’s recently released budget plan, and, specifically, his tax plan.

“Gov. Wolf is not being honest when he says this is all about the severance tax. Every income level would pay more under the governor’s tax plan,” Stephens asserted in the Facebook update. ”He needs to stop throwing this temper tantrum. That’s what he’s doing when he doesn’t get his way and sends out deceptive mailers.”

Stephens was reiterating what he said on Monday at a press conference, railing against Wolf for vetoing the Republican-controlled Congressional addendums to his budget.

“What really disturbs me is we gave him the 10 percent increase in funding for rape crisis centers and domestic violence programs he wanted,” Stephens said. “But because he didn’t get his massive tax increases, he vetoed the entire budget. That’s a temper tantrum.”

The Republican budget lacked almost all of the governor’s most important pieces of legislation. There was no increase in income taxes or sales taxes to subsidize property taxes, and no severance tax on natural gas which would fund his education program.

When Wolf vetoed the budget on June 30, he cited poor math and said that the budget was not balanced.

“I ran a business,” Wolf told the Post-Gazette. “If I took a budget that looked anything like this to my bank, they would have thrown me out of the office.”