HARRISBURG — In anticipation of Tom Wolf’s anniversary as Governor, the Republican Party of Pennsylvania is taking a look back on some of the major issues that occurred during his first year in office.
Today, we highlight Governor Tom Wolf’s decision to threaten the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) to go along with his budget plans.
“The Wolf Administration is not above making threats to get their way on the budget. In April, the Wolf Administration threatened the PASSHE Board of Governors to support Wolf’s massive tax hikes. Wolf showed just how low he is willing to go to push his extreme liberal agenda on Pennsylvanians.” — PA GOP Communications Director Megan Sweeney
Tom Wolf Threatens PASSHE
In April, Governor Wolf’s top advisor pushed the PASSHE Board of Governor’s to freeze tuition if they wanted support from him in the future. (Dennis Owens, “Did governor twist arms for tuition-freeze promise?,” WHTM, 4/9/2015)
- One PASSHE Board of Governors Member: “I felt like a gun was held to our head.” “Board Member Johnathon Mack said, ‘I felt like a gun was held to our head.’” (Dennis Owens, “Did governor twist arms for tuition-freeze promise?,” WHTM, 4/9/2015)
Some PASSHE Members said “they felt the governor’s aide was in effect threatening them.” “A day after an aide to Gov. Tom Wolf called it a ‘test of accountability,’ the board overseeing Pennsylvania’s 14 state-owned universities voted its intent this morning to freeze tuition next year provided the governor’s proposed double-digit percentage boost in campus aid passes the Legislature. But the State System of Higher Education’s board of governors, some of whom said they felt the governor’s aide was in effect threatening them, added a caveat — that the tuition level will still be ‘subject to the final determination’ by the board at an unspecified date.” (Bill Schackner, “Higher ed board to freeze tuition at state-owned universities if aid boost comes through,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 4/9/2015)
- “Early efforts to engage the governor were to no avail…” “They said early efforts to engage the governor were to no avail and expressed displeasure that tuition was now ensnared in a partisan fight over the proposed state budget.” (Bill Schackner, “Higher ed board to freeze tuition at state-owned universities if aid boost comes through,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 4/9/2015)
Not happy with just threatening support for this year, Wolf threatened to withdraw an additional $45 million in funding in the 2016-17 budget. (Bill Schackner, “Higher ed board to freeze tuition at state-owned universities if aid boost comes through,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 4/9/2015)
PASSHE Chairman: Wolf tax hike would “equate to a 6.5% increase in college costs for PASSHE students.” “(PASSHE Chairman Guido) Pichini said @GovernorTomWolf’s sales tax increase would equate to a 6.5% increase in college costs for PASSHE students.” (Tweet from Jan Murphy, Harrisburg Patriot-News, 4/9/2015)
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