The speaker of the Democratically controlled Vermont House joined the chair of that chamber’s Appropriations Committee to discuss budget deliberations and rebut Republican Governor Phil Scott’s ongoing criticism that their plan is fiscally irresponsible.
During his weekly briefing on Wednesday, Governor Scott reiterated his call for the legislature to hold the line on taxes and spending as it crafts the state’s budget and reviews revenue bills.
“We hear from Vermonters every single day who are more than just concerned,” Scott said. “Some are angry. They can’t afford the hundreds of millions of dollars in new taxes the Legislature’s considering or even the Legislature’s $100-million payroll tax coming July 1. They can’t afford hundreds or thousands of dollars more a year to heat their homes and businesses and also see their electric bills increase as well. Even things like a 20% hike in DMV fees stretch budgets thin. We’re asking way too much of Vermonters and they’ve had enough.”
House Appropriations Committee Chair Diane Lanpher, a Vergennes Democrat, says the $8.58 billion budget currently under deliberation is very close to the governor’s proposed $8.56 billion proposal.
“This particular budget, unlike last year’s, is a lot trimmer,” Lanpher said. “This FY25 that the House is bringing forward has a difference from the Governor that is so minute. We are about point-two percent difference in the General Fund. Right now, our budget is very tight. It stays within the revenues. We have things that we’re very pleased to be able to have done and there are many concerns that we have that are pressures that are going to put on FY26. But given the revenues right now we’re willing to take that risk and have to deal with them next year as well.”
Lanpher outlined work on the proposed budget and revenue bills. Separately, House Minority Leader Patricia McCoy, a Rutland Republican, has described the revenue bills as out-of-control, but Democratic Speaker Jill Krowinski says the proposals are investments that will benefit Vermonters.
“People are stressed about housing costs. They’re stressed about issues around public safety, the cost of health care going up, the cost of providing really great education to our kids,” noted Krowinski. “We’re hearing this and we need to act. We are being proactive in ensuring that we are taking action on these issues and letting people know that we have their backs. You know we’re trying to address some of the upstream needs as well to ensure that we’re supporting families and communities and saving costs in the long run. So, I think we are strongly responding to the needs that we are hearing from our communities and that’s what you’re seeing in these bills on the floor.”
Vermont’s Joint Fiscal Office calculates the point-two percent difference between the legislature and governor’s General Fund budget is $15.3 million.
