{"id":319,"date":"2025-07-02T13:34:44","date_gmt":"2025-07-02T17:34:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nhhfc.org\/nhhfc\/?p=319"},"modified":"2025-07-02T13:37:56","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T17:37:56","slug":"new-hampshire-house-freedom-caucus-condemns-fiscally-irresponsible-budget-provisions-in-hb2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nhhfc.org\/nhhfc\/2025\/07\/02\/new-hampshire-house-freedom-caucus-condemns-fiscally-irresponsible-budget-provisions-in-hb2\/","title":{"rendered":"New Hampshire House Freedom Caucus Condemns Fiscally Irresponsible Budget Provisions in HB2"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>2025 Freedom Caucus Tri-Chairs<br \/>\nState Representative Shane Sirois<br \/>\nState Representative Paul Terry<br \/>\nHon. JR Hoell<\/p>\n<p>Media Contacts:<br \/>\ninfo@NHHFC.org<br \/>\nHon. JR Hoell<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>New Hampshire House Freedom Caucus Condemns Fiscally Irresponsible Budget Provisions in HB2<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>CONCORD, NH \u2013 The New Hampshire House Freedom Caucus denounces the passage of HB 2, a budget bill stuffed with provisions that jeopardize the state\u2019s fiscal stability and burden future generations with unsustainable financial obligations.<\/p>\n<p>This legislation, marketed and sold as a balanced budget, employs fiscally unsound accounting and prioritizes special interests over the long-term prosperity of New Hampshire\u2019s taxpayers.<\/p>\n<p>We call on Granite Staters to recognize the negative implications of these policies and financial decisions, which undermine the principles of limited government and fiscal prudence.<\/p>\n<p>Unsustainable Pension Enhancements Threaten Fiscal Solvency<\/p>\n<p>HB 2 includes extravagant pension boosts for Group II retirees, granting certain public safety employees special benefits approaching twice the average working salary in New Hampshire\u2014up to $145,000 annually for some. These enhancements exacerbate the state\u2019s already strained pension system, which faces significant unfunded liabilities. Actuarial projections suggest that these increases will add tens of millions of dollars in annual costs, compounding over decades and diverting resources from critical priorities such as education, infrastructure, and tax relief. By prioritizing a select group over the broader public, this policy risks precipitating a fiscal crisis akin to those plaguing other states with bloated pension systems.<\/p>\n<p>Budget Deferrals Mask Structural Deficits<\/p>\n<p>The bill\u2019s proponents tout a balanced budget, yet this claim rests on a $25 million deferral of obligations into the 2027\u20132028 budget cycle. Resorting to this type of \u201cpostponement accounting\u201d artificially inflates and gives the appearance of fiscal health, while actually saddling future administrations with unaddressed liabilities. Such deferrals erode trust in public institutions, invite credit rating downgrades, and increase borrowing costs, ultimately burdening taxpayers. The Freedom Caucus rejects and condemns this shortsighted tactic, which prioritizes political expediency over responsible governance.<\/p>\n<p>Expansive Policy Shifts Lock in Costly Obligations<\/p>\n<p>Beyond its financial failings, HB 2 embeds policy shifts that significantly expand the scope and cost of government. The bill authorizes new public sector benefits and programmatic expansions\u2014such as enhanced healthcare subsidies and increased administrative staffing\u2014without corresponding revenue reforms. These initiatives, while presented as compassionate, establish permanent spending commitments that will grow with inflation and demographic pressures. Preliminary estimates suggest these policies could add upwards of $50 million annually to the state budget, constraining fiscal flexibility and increasing reliance on volatile revenue sources such as gambling revenues like Video Slot Machines (VLTs).<\/p>\n<p>Failure to Address Revenue Volatility Invites Future Crises<\/p>\n<p>Compounding these concerns, HB 2 fails to address the state\u2019s exposure to revenue volatility, relying on one-time federal grants and optimistic economic forecasts to fund recurring expenditures. This approach invites structural deficits during economic downturns, potentially necessitating painful spending cuts or tax increases. The Freedom Caucus warns that such fiscal imprudence threatens the state\u2019s ability to maintain essential services and preserve its low-tax advantage, a cornerstone of New Hampshire\u2019s economic vitality.<\/p>\n<p>A Call to Action for Fiscal Responsibility<\/p>\n<p>The New Hampshire House Freedom Caucus urges its fellow members to consider these clearly harmful provisions and prioritize policies that safeguard the state\u2019s fiscal future. We advocate for transparent budgeting, sustainable pension reforms, and targeted spending that respects taxpayers\u2019 hard-earned dollars. Granite Staters deserve a government that upholds fiscal discipline, not one that mortgages their future for short-term political gains.<\/p>\n<p>We invite the public to join us in demanding accountability and to contact their representatives to remind them of the potential long-term consequences of HB 2. Together, we can restore New Hampshire\u2019s commitment to limited government and economic freedom.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>2025 Freedom Caucus Tri-Chairs State Representative Shane Sirois State Representative Paul Terry Hon. JR Hoell Media Contacts: info@NHHFC.org Hon. JR Hoell New Hampshire House Freedom Caucus Condemns Fiscally Irresponsible Budget Provisions in HB2 CONCORD, NH \u2013 The New Hampshire House Freedom Caucus denounces the passage of HB 2, a budget bill stuffed with provisions that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_s2mail":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nhhfc.org\/nhhfc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/319","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nhhfc.org\/nhhfc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nhhfc.org\/nhhfc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nhhfc.org\/nhhfc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nhhfc.org\/nhhfc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=319"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/nhhfc.org\/nhhfc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/319\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":323,"href":"https:\/\/nhhfc.org\/nhhfc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/319\/revisions\/323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nhhfc.org\/nhhfc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nhhfc.org\/nhhfc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=319"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nhhfc.org\/nhhfc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}