Senate Republican Leader Glenn Coffee of Oklahoma City commented on the budget agreement by House Speaker Todd Hiett, Senate President Pro Tem Mike Morgan, and Gov. Brad Henry.
“Thankfully Senate Democrats have backed down from their obstructionism that brought us to the brink of a government shutdown. If Republicans ran the State Senate, the state budget would have been completed on time and this costly special session would not have been necessary,” stated Coffee.
Coffee noted that the agreement for the largest tax cut in state history – a total of $6 billion in tax relief over the next ten years – is a significant achievement. But, he added that the spending increases demanded by Senate Democrats show the need for a Republican majority in the State Senate to help House Republicans in their efforts to rein in the budget.