McKee Proposes $14.2B Rhode Island State Budget for 2025-26

An ongoing gap between expenditures and revenue spells more red ink

Office of Management and Budget Director Brian Daniels talks about the budget as state Administration Director Jonathan Womer listens.
Office of Management and Budget Director Brian Daniels talks about the budget as state Administration Director Jonathan Womer listens.
Ian Donnis / The Public’s Radio
Share
Office of Management and Budget Director Brian Daniels talks about the budget as state Administration Director Jonathan Womer listens.
Office of Management and Budget Director Brian Daniels talks about the budget as state Administration Director Jonathan Womer listens.
Ian Donnis / The Public’s Radio
McKee Proposes $14.2B Rhode Island State Budget for 2025-26
Copy

Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee’s latest $14.2 billion budget proposal adds about a quarter-billion dollars from the current spending plan, reflecting the challenge of fueling the government in a state where expenditures continue to outpace revenue.

McKee said his budget, which he unveiled Thursday, would close an approximately $250 million deficit without any broad-based tax increases.“It will not just protect Rhode Island’s progress, it will protect the taxpayers of our state,” McKee said.

The proposal banks on $10 million in revenue from the eventual restart of the RhodeWorks truck-tolling program, following a recent court decision, and predicts that amount will grow to $40 million in fiscal 2026-27.

The spending plan includes investments meant to spark economic growth, increases in education aid, and a proposed ban on new sales of semiautomatic rifles sometimes called assault weapons.

This story was reported by The Public’s Radio. You can read the entire story here.

2025 Point-in-Time count shows 2.8% decline in overall homelessness, yet unsheltered and chronically homeless numbers rise amid fewer shelter beds and delayed housing solutions
Sgt. Joseph Hanley pleaded guilty to an assault charge stemming from a 2020 incident in which he was filmed kicking and punching a handcuffed man
William Cepeda and Elio Villafranca Sextet explore the deep roots of Puerto Rican, Cuban, and New Orleans music in a one-night performance merging heritage and improvisation
Loss of critical funding threatens afterschool programs, English learner support, and adult education across the state; officials call freeze “illegal” and prepare for legal action
The hospital has closed about 40 psychiatric beds, according to its chief operating officer
A former CEO and chairman of Hasbro, Hassenfeld was dedicated to philanthropic causes