State legislators representing Butler County are united in their support of getting state money to struggling schools, human services and county governments.

Gov. Tom Wolf on Tuesday agreed to release six months’ worth of emergency funds for schools and more than $9 billion for human services.

That means about $23 billion in aid will flow. But Wolf also used his line-item veto authority to eliminate or reduce other pieces of the $30.26 billion state budget proposal.

State Sen. Don White, R-41st, called the line item veto something Wolf should have used months ago rather than rejecting the Legislature’s budget in its entirety.

“In reality the Legislature met or exceeded the governor’s funding requests for almost 70 percent of the budget,” White said in a statement. “Those areas of agreement should have never been denied access to funds otherwise sitting in the state treasury.”

State Rep. Jim Marshall, R-14th, said he wasn’t surprised by Wolf’s decision, but continues to strongly oppose any tax increase.

“I look forward to continuing to negotiate, (but) I just don’t think tax increases are the way to go,” Marshall said.

He said Wolf’s comments Tuesday morning displayed a “bully perspective” the governor fell into last summer following his budget address.

“He’s in campaign-attack mode all the time,” Marshall said. “I don’t think he has a clear perspective of what it is to be in the Legislature.”

State Rep. Tedd Nesbit, R-8th, said voters in his district continue to tell him that they can’t afford increases in state sales and income taxes, which Wolf has proposed multiple times during the impasse.

“These people cannot afford to pay more for the governor’s large appetite for spending, and I can’t ask them to make such sacrifices so that schools in other parts of the state can benefit,” Nesbit said in a statement.

State Rep. Jaret Gibbons, D-10th, called the $30.3 billion budget “unbalanced (and) shortsighted,” but said he was glad that Wolf used his line item veto rather than rejecting it completely. Gibbons joined the governor in urging state legislators to return to Harrisburg and continue negotiations.

“It’s time for the Republican majorities in the House and Senate to get back to Harrisburg and get to work on a final compromise budget that adequately funds schools; social services and closes our structural deficit,” Gibbons said.

House members will be on-call starting Monday to return to Harrisburg.

No sessions are scheduled through the weekend.

State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-12th, said Wolf approved about 77 percent of the proposed budget and rejected about 23 percent.

Metcalfe said Wolf has “the most liberal agenda in the country” of any governor, and accused him of using education and social funding as a political tool to gain leverage in negotiations.

“His real concern is not for the kids or the taxpayers. It’s to increase the tax burden so he has more money to spend while he’s governor,” Metcalfe said.

State Rep. Jeffrey Pyle, R-60th, called Wolf’s news conference Tuesday morning “a big, political bombing run” meant to harm Republican legislators. He added the line item vetoes are something Wolf should have used months ago.

“What he did today is what we’ve tried to do for months: get some money out so the schools and social services can make payroll,” Pyle said. “He should have done this back in July. I don’t know why this much time was wasted.”

Pyle took issue with Wolf’s contention that the budget includes a $95 million cut to education spending.

In a release, state Rep. Lee James, R-64th, said, “I am thankful that Governor Wolf finally decided to release funding for schools, human service organizations and county programs that were in need, something the House of Representatives voted (to do) numerous times. Six months later than he should have ... Gov. Tom Wolf used his line-item veto authority and allowed funding to be released to organizations that are in need.

“The budget that we sent him increased education funding by over $400 million, hardly something that anyone could consider “garbage” as the governor described it.”

James said, “I will continue to stand firm on the governor’s proposed tax increases and fight for a budget that invests in our priorities.”

State Sen. Elder Vogel, R-47th, said the budget commits a record amount to education, and increased funding for K-12 education by $150 million. He accused the governor of continuing to play politics, but called his actions Tuesday “encouraging.”

“Let me be clear, when Gov. Wolf characterizes the budget ... as an ‘exercise in stupidity,’ and that it cuts education funding by $95 million, that statement is intended to deceive,” Vogel said. He said he remains “firmly opposed” to “broad-based, punishing tax increases.”

Tax increases are something state Sen. Scott Hutchinson, R-21st, believes won’t happen.

“No matter what, he (Wolf) wants a tax increase at the end,” Hutchinson said. “That’s the bottom line, and that’s pretty harsh.”

Hutchinson said he wasn’t surprised by most line item vetoes enacted by Wolf, but he was “shocked” by the governor’s veto of some funds for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections.

He said Republican leaders in the Legislature were reviewing Wolf’s actions and discussing how to respond.

“We’re taking a good, long, hard look at it and seeing what should be our next step,” Hutchinson said. “There’re many different avenues we could go, so we’re probably going to take a deep breath and decide” how to move forward.