California GOP lawmakers slam Newsom-backed budget as unsustainable, say Republicans left out of negotiations

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a budget intended to close a multiple billion-dollar deficit, but multiple Republican lawmakers say they were left out of negotiations.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks to reporters after a presidential debate between President Biden and Republican presidential candidate former President Trump in Atlanta, Thursday, June 27, 2024.  (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

"Thanks to careful stewardship of the budget over the past few years, we're able to meet this moment while protecting our progress on housing, homelessness, education, health care and other priorities that matter deeply to Californians," Newsom said. 

But some Republicans say they were left out of negotiations altogether. Republican Senator Roger Niello of Fair Oaks, Vice-Chair of the Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review, derided the budget as "the majority party’s budget." He told Fox News Digital he only learned of the budget in an X post. 

State Capitol Aerial view of California Capitol in Sacramento. Lawmakers on Friday advanced a bill that would allow killer serving life without parole to petition for re-sentencing.  (Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

"They shifted, swept and shuffled money around, stealing it from disabled kids and taking money from a host of necessary services to fund unneeded social experiments and pet projects," he said. "It’s unfathomable. But it’s real."

The deficit was about $32 billion in 2023 before growing even bigger this year, with more deficits projected for the future in the nation's most populous state. 

Saturday's signing came just two years after Newsom and Democratic lawmakers were boasting about surpluses that totaled more than $100 billion, the product of hundreds of billions of dollars of federal COVID-19 aid and a progressive tax code that produced a windfall of revenue from the state's wealthiest residents.

But those revenue spikes did not last as inflation slowed the economy, contributing to rising unemployment and a slowdown in the tech industry that has driven much of the state's growth. The Newsom administration then badly miscalculated how much money California would have last year after a seven-month delay in the tax filing deadline.

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The budget includes an agreement that Newsom and lawmakers will try to change the state constitution to let California put more money in reserve for future shortfalls.

Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom's office but did not hear back.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Bradford Betz is a Fox News Digital breaking reporter covering crime, political issues, and much more. 

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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/california-gop-lawmakers-slam-newsom-backed-budget-unsustainable-say-republicans-left-out-negotiations