Republican budget leaders have reiterated their call for fiscal responsibility in response to the $12 billion deficit announced in the governor’s May Revision. Senate Budget Committee Vice Chair Roger Niello criticized Governor Newsom’s approach, stating, “‘Trump Slump?’ More like ‘Gavin’s Gap’. Newsom’s budget legacy continues as he papers over problems. We’re looking at a budget with shifty spending and long-term pain for his short-term presidential gain.”
Senator Niello, along with all Senate Republicans, submitted a budget request letter in early April prioritizing funding Prop. 36, investing in students, spurring job creation, and preparing for wildfires. However, the governor’s revision does not fund Prop. 36 treatment.
A recent U.S. News ranking placed California 42nd for overall fiscal stability and 48th for short-term fiscal stability. Republican lawmakers attribute these challenges to what they describe as poor prioritization and unsustainable budgeting practices by Democratic lawmakers who have controlled the state budget for over a decade.
Assemblyman Flora (R-Ripon), Vice Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee, stated, “Republicans in both chambers have always looked for ways to make the budget sustainable, and sometimes that means making cuts. We just disagree with the Governor on where those cuts and investments should be made, and so we’ll continue to work with our colleagues to ensure that the final budget continues to fund critical services for Californians.”
Over the past decade, Democratic budget writers have doubled state spending despite a flat population growth. They reportedly took a short-term surplus of $98 billion in 2022 but quickly overspent into years of deficits amounting to tens of billions of dollars annually.
