House Majority Still Acting Like House Minority

President Pro Tempore Mike Morgan, said Republican Leadership in the House has been too busy cranking out politically motivated news releases to act on a Democratic General Appropriations (GA) Bill that truly places value on working families.

He said the newly elected Republican majority in the House has a duty to provide critical services upon which all Oklahomans depend. They are instead, he said, trying to govern through press releases, which falls short of the responsibility that all Oklahomans deserve and expect from the legislature.

“A budget often reveals ones values because, just as in household budgets, people usually spend money on the things they value the most,” Morgan said.

He said after reviewing the House Republican budget, is it clear they value tax cuts for the rich above funding programs that provide access to higher education, affordable healthcare and rural fire protection.

“It is becoming increasingly clear that when Republicans talk about family values that it truly is all talk,” Morgan, a Democrat from Stillwater said. “If they valued working class families like they value their rich supporters they would be willing to come to the negotiating table without a ‘my way or the highway’ attitude.”

“Senate Leadership has asked the Republicans in the House to instead sit down with us and come up with a budget that places real value on working families,” the lawmaker said.

Morgan said it was quite clear after speaking to House Leadership they are unwilling to continue good faith negotiations and are instead going to continue their smoke and mirrors scheme to hide the fact their budget cuts funding to programs like public education, rural fire protection and senior nutrition programs. The Republicans, he said, are doing so all in an effort to enact a tax policy that benefits the richest Oklahomans.
He said if House Leadership wants to act on single agency bills, they should start with passing SB 217 first thing Monday morning. Morgan said SB 217 is the only bill that would fulfill the “Fund Education First” Deadline.

“The Senate has passed two separate budget bills and sent them to the House close to four weeks ago but they have refused to act on our bills and instead, have placed their values someplace other than with working families.” Morgan said. “And that someplace else is in giveaways to their rich friends.”

Morgan said it was also very clear House Republicans value different things than Senate Democrats.

“Senate Democrats value access to a higher education, Senate Democrats value the benefit of all day kindergarten, Senate Democrats value warm meals for senior citizens and fire protection for rural Oklahomans,” Morgan said. “For a party that talks so often about family values their budget places very little value in working families at all and quite frankly, their rhetoric simply does not match their record.”