McClure and State Republicans Trade Blows Over Budget Impasse

In the face of a state budget impasse that has existed since July 1, Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure has given the SEIU bargaining unit that represents caseworkers a required 30-day notice of furlough. Before this, McClure postponed an annual luncheon for the county's centenarians, some of whom may no longer be here if and when the county ever gets around to rescheduling it. A supposedly nonpartisan county news release called the delay a "direct result of the Republican-led State Senate’s ongoing refusal to pass a state budget. McClure is directly quoted as saying this: “Republicans in the State Senate have failed the people of Pennsylvania by refusing to pass a budget. ... For three months, their dysfunction has left counties like Northampton footing the bill, costing us millions of dollars just to keep essential services going. And now, their failure means we must cancel a celebration for residents who have given more than a century of service and spirit to their community. This is unacceptable. They must do their job, pass a budget, and stop punishing taxpayers and seniors alike. Once a budget is passed, we will move quickly to reschedule this important event.” State House Republicans Ann Flood, Zach Mako and Milou Mackenzie have responded to this news release with some harsh words of their own, and McClure has fired back at them. 

Flood, Mako and Mackenzie to McClure:

Our offices have been made aware of your administration's efforts to blame Pennsylvania's budget impasse on Senate Republicans. Since you appear to have a misunderstanding of the facts surrounding the impasse, we, as elected officials in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, feel compelled to set the record straight. 

The first and most egregious misleading allegation you continue to make is that we are facing a budget impasse due to Senate Republicans. This claim is a shameful and deliberate obfuscation of the facts for cheap political points. 

Senate Republicans passed a stopgap budget on Aug. 12,2025. The stopgap was intended to release some funding while negotiations on spending increases continued. Less than 24 hours after its passage, House Democrats called a House Appropriations Committee meeting to vote it down. In fact, it was Senate Republicans, supported by House Republicans, who advanced the plan. 

Our offices recently obtained a letter from Susan Wandalowski, director of the Department of Human Services, dated Sept. 19,2025, regarding the current budget impasse' The letter contained multiple inaccuracies and omitted the stopgap budget entirely. 

Further demonstrating a misunderstanding of the state budget process is the claim that the impasse is due to an "equitable funding formula." Pennsylvania's budget is not based on a single formula. It comprises hundreds of line items distributed to agencies, the public, school districts, counties, contractors, and nonprofits through various methods, including block grants, direct payments, and, in some cases, formulas. There is no "funding formula" blocking the budget. 

What is preventing a finalized budget is the unwillingness of House Democrats and the governor to compromise. The governor's proposal spends roughly $5.5 billion more than projected revenues. The problem is not Republican opposition; the math does not add up in the proposals advanced by the governor and House Democrats. While compromise is challenging when initial proposals are unrealistic, we still have a responsibility to try. 

Unfortunately, House Democrats and the governor have rejected reasonable Republican offers that could have resolved the impasse. 

It is also important to note that the Sept. 19 letter contains misleading equivalencies. The county is not in danger of losing 9l1 center funding. As you know, 911 services are funded through the 9l1fee and the funding is distributed to counties entirely separate from the General Fund budget.

We recognize that County Human Services programs are not receiving funding. Solving this requires the governor and House Democrats to face reality and act swiftly, not play political games. In the meantime, our Republican state treasurer, Stacy Garrity, is offering short-term loans to counties needing assistance with payments. We recommend exploring this program. 

When you announced the cancellation of the Centenarian Luncheon, you again blamed Senate Republicans while pledging not to raise taxes on Northampton residents. Passing the governor's budget, however, would deplete reserves and likely lead to tax increases. Just as you are unwilling to raise taxes at the county level, raising taxes at the state level is equally untenable. 

We urge you to stop playing politics with people's lives. Canceling events and sending letters intended to alarm constituents is not good government. We have already seen the deadly consequences of political rhetoric taken too far this month. 

Finally, we encourage you to urge House Democratic leadership and Speaker Joanna McClinton to convene the House promptly to, at a minimum, pass a stopgap budget.

McClure fires back: (His letter to state reps is unfortunately in a format that I am unable to load in a more readable format):

On Thursday, when announcing his budget he called Senate Republicans "deadbeats." In my view, this divisive rhetoric does nothing but guarantee that the impasse will continue.