House Democratic members oppose state budget, tax cut for leaving thousands of Oklahomans behind
OKLAHOMA CITY – Several Oklahoma House Democratic Members rose to debate against HB 2766, the general appropriations bill for FY-2026, and HB 2764, which provides a quarter-percent cut to the personal income tax rate. Arguments against both bills pointed to a lack of prioritizing everyday Oklahomans, setting the state up for potential financial challenges with the income tax cut, and lack of preparations for looming cuts to funding by the federal government. "This budget does not reflect the true needs of everyday Oklahomans," said House Democratic Leader Cyndi Munson, D-Oklahoma City. "We had an opportunity to provide targeted tax relief to those who need it most while protecting our revenue base. Instead, Republican legislative leaders put the Governor's priority of decimating our revenue base and putting core functions of government at risk before meeting those needs. We continue to be last on the list for education and healthcare—two of the most important components of building a strong economy—and this budget does nothing to address either in a real way. By prioritizing flat agency budgets and an income tax cut that helps the wealthiest Oklahomans, we continue to kick the can down the road to truly move our state forward. We can do better, and we should." Rep. Trish Ranson, D-Stillwater, said this budget could do more to help Oklahomans. “Tying the budget to an income tax cut is a hard ‘no’ for me,” Ranson said. “I believe we could do so much more for Oklahomans. Restricting our revenue when we are already a poor revenue state, is not planning for the future–it’s not even planning for today. Agency budgets were held flat, which means this budget was built for the past.” Rep. Michelle McCane, D-Tulsa, said an income tax cut disproportionately benefits the wealthiest Oklahomans. “On paper, an income tax cut might sound good—but in reality, it overwhelmingly benefits those making over $100,000 a year,” McCane said. “The median household income in our state is under $65,000. Most families won’t see meaningful relief, but they will feel the consequences—a decrease in essential state services, crumbling infrastructure, and overburdened healthcare systems. And let’s be honest: we’re staring down unknown federal budget cuts and navigating a virtual fun house of shifting tariff policies that could hit our farmers and small businesses hard. This is not the time for reckless revenue cuts. We need tax policy that’s smart, stable, and centered on everyday Oklahomans—not giveaways for the wealthiest few.” Rep. Ellen Pogemiller, D-Oklahoma City, said the budget chooses tax cuts over Oklahoma communities. “Let’s be clear: companies and families won’t choose to move to Oklahoma because it’s the cheapest option—they will move here because of our infrastructure, our educated workforce and the resources which are at risk due to a trigger tax cut,” Pogemiller said. “This month alone, two child care centers in my district shut their doors. Instead of raising subsidies to reflect the actual cost of care, we handed out tax cuts worth just $11.91 a month for the median income earner in our state. Meanwhile, critical federal funding for programs like SNAP and Medicaid are under threat. Rather than planning for the long-term sustainability of these lifelines, we chose tax cuts over our communities.” -END-