Republicans say the state is operating under a planned $30-billion budget that the governor line-item vetoed down to $24 billion in December.

Now, they’re raising questions about that budget, and next year’s.

We have more from a press conference held this afternoon.

Republican representatives say the governor line-item vetoed about 13 percent of this year’s budget, counting some federal pass-through, and they still want that money to be released.

“There is the additional 13 percent that needs to be released. We are all committed and supportive of releasing that money,” says Rep. Matt Gabler, R-Dist. 75.

So why can’t they all agree in Harrisburg?

Rep. Matt Gabler says they did compromise, approving a $150-million “basic education” increase in December, up from $100 million in June, which the governor had vetoed.

“We actually have come forward with compromises, put some additional things into the budget, figured out ways to pay for it, and done that, and to this point, we’ve still not seen any willingness on the governor’s part to come back and meet us,” says Gabler. “I think at the end of the day, unfortunately, he won’t be satisfied unless he gets an increase in the tax rate.”

Now, they don’t like his ’16-’17 budget.

“He’s proposed an 11-percent income tax increase retroactive to January 1,” says Gabler.

“Every dollar we take more from them for government, it’s less that they can pay their employees, and less opportunity for them to hire another employee. I think that’s wrong,” says Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, R-Dist. 171, referring to businesses.

Schools are another concern for these reps.

“If we don’t have the remaining six months of school funding released by sometime in April, we may see school districts in the state shutting down,” says Gabler.

“They do not have to have that happen. The governor could make the call and he could release the hostages,” says Rep. Donna Oberlander, R-Dist. 63.

All blasted the governor at the press conference, held at Penn Central Door in DuBois and taped by their own crew.

“Governor Wolf did that for the purpose of creating so-called ‘leverage.’ That leverage is to create pain in order to put tax increases on working Pennsylvanians,” says Gabler.

But if the budget doesn’t go up, what will be cut?

Republicans espoused “cost control” including through using technology, pension reform, and economic growth to bring in more taxes.

“Focusing on efficiencies. Are we doing the same thing that we did 20 years ago over and over and over?” says Benninghoff.

“We can’t afford Governor Tom Wolf with all his tax-and-spend proposals,” Rep. Martin Causer, R-Dist. 67. “I think the governor is just out of touch with how real Pennsylvanians live.”

The representatives say they’re currently holding hearings in Harrisburg and working on the budget for the next fiscal year, which is set to start on July 1.