(WHTM) — It’s been a week since the budget passed, and the dust is still settling on the details.
We sat down with two of the main players.

“The rainy day fund is going to be a challenge next year, there’s no doubt about it,” said Senate Majority Floor Leader Joe Pittman (R-Armstrong/Indiana/Jefferson/Westmoreland).

Sen. Pittman is proud that Pennsylvania’s $7.5 billion rainy day fund was untouched, but no promises for next year, given that the state is spending $50 billion and taking in $47 billion.

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“If you told me ten months ago that we were going to find $3 billion in the couch cushions of the bureaucracy, I’d tell you I didn’t believe you, but we did,” said Pittman.

“I think it’s a mischaracterization to say we just found money,” said House Majority Appropriations Committee Chair Jordan Harris (D-Philadelphia). “I mean, our folks here do a great job of accounting for all of the taxpayer dollars, so there’s no finding money.”

Rep. Harris concedes lawmakers must find more money before next year’s budget. Skill games? Legalized marijuana? Increased growth or the “T” word. Harris was asked if Pennsylvania can get the budget done next year without a tax increase.

“Yes,” Harris responded.

The budget required compromise, which requires all sides to accept things they don’t like. What do these two least like about this year’s deal?

“I hate how much we’re spending,” said Pittman. “I don’t like the spending number. I’m worried about the structural deficit. We’re spending much more than I prefer.”

“Pennsylvania is going to have to talk about climate,” said Harris. “It’s going to have to talk about energy and what we’re doing here and the Commonwealth around it, but Pennsylvania also has to come to grips with talking about mass transit. It is one of the things in the budget that was left undone.”

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The budget was passed a week after a blue wave election washed across Pennsylvania. What’s the biggest takeaway?

“My takeaway is that the electorate is going through convulsions, quite frankly, 365 days before the election,” said Pittman. “A couple of weeks ago, it was a huge red wave. The electorate sent a different message.”

“What I would consider is a rebuff of what we’ve seen at the federal level on the fact that the federal administration is not doing what people of Pennsylvania want to see,” said Harris.

When asked if Republicans are nervous about the election to come, Pittman said he was not concerned.

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“Not at all,” said Pittman. “Not at all. Lord knows where we’ll be a year from now.”

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