Gov. Matt Meyer, in your Oct. 31 press release, you said, “We’re staring down a $400 million shortfall because Washington keeps handing out tax breaks to the wealthy while working people get left behind.”
But Delaware’s budget crisis wasn’t made in Washington; it was made in Dover.
As Charlie Copeland of the Caesar Rodney Institute recently wrote, Delaware’s spending “has grown far faster than its economy for more than a decade.” Lawmakers have approved over $900 million in “off-budget” supplemental bills in just six years, expanding state spending well beyond the reported budget. In fiscal 2024 alone, total expenditures jumped 13% — more than twice the rate of inflation.
Copeland also noted that temporary federal COVID-19 relief funds “masked these structural problems and created the illusion of fiscal health.” Now that the one-time money is gone, the same cycle of overspending and shortfalls has returned. Meanwhile, Delaware continues to lose young workers and high earners, while becoming one of the nation’s oldest states, a costly trend for taxpayers.
Governor, it’s time to look inward. The solution isn’t in Washington; it’s in disciplined spending, honest budgeting and reforms that allow Delaware’s economy to grow again. That’s how we ensure that Delaware works, not just for today’s retirees but for our children and grandchildren, who deserve the chance to thrive here.
Michelle Parsons
Fenwick Island
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
