Criticism mounts against Newsom and California Democrats for ‘gimmicky’ $17 billion solution to budget shortfall

In an effort to close a $73 billion deficit by June, California‘s Democratic lawmakers agreed on Friday to reduce the deficit by $17.3 billion through spending cuts, delays, and deferrals.

Republican lawmakers have called the move “gimmicky” and blamed Newsom for mismanaging state funds.

“This most recent deal that he’s touting is all reliant on budget gimmicks, cause shifts and deferrals, which, when you look at the numbers, it’s clearly not enough,” Vince Fong, Assembly vice chairman of the Budget Committee, told Fox News Digital. “We have a sustainability problem. We have an overspending problem in California, and nothing the governor is working on tackles that.”

The plan is to cut $3.6 billion in primarily one-time funding for schools, welfare, and climate programs, and it is delaying $5.2 billion in programs such as public transit and facilities for preschools. The agreement also allows Newsom to freeze additional one-time funding included in the budget in the past three years.

Just two years ago, Newsom signed a $301 billion budget with a $97 billion surplus. The budget was nearly triple what it was for the previous fiscal year, with billions of dollars being allocated for climate change initiatives, homelessness, and education. In January, Newsom predicted a shortfall was $37.9 billion, but by February, the Legislative Analyst’s Office had predicted it was more than double.

“I’ve been warning the governor about the growing problem of our budgets for the entire time we got into this mess, because the budget that the governor continues to push has grown more unsustainable,” Fong told the outlet.

The state is facing the highest unemployment rate in the nation, with job growth much lower in 2023 than expected. The state is also facing a mass exodus of residents and businesses fleeing to states with lower taxes. The state lost over half a million people from January 2020 to July 2022, with the number of residents leaving the state 700,000 more than those moving in.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

As the state struggles to meet ballooning costs, Republican state Rep. Kevin Kiley reportedly pointed out that the state continues to finance the healthcare of illegal immigrants.

“We’re the only state that’s saying we’re gonna give every single person in this state that’s here illegally free taxpayer funds,” Kiley said. “California is a model of exactly what not to do when it comes to managing a state’s finances and managing its tax system and spending.”