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
1 min read
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.

Unsustainable fishing, not climate change, has been the biggest threat to ocean biodiversity for decades. Scientists warn that dismantling marine protected areas could accelerate the crisis for species, ecosystems, and coastal economies alike
Union says incidents of violence against staff have risen 41% between 2022 and 2024
The measure, introduced by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and Rep. Seth Magaziner, is unlikely to succeed in the Republican-controlled Congress
Barrier was built without permission along less sensitive water around same time as Quidnessett Country Club’s controversial wall
Local Catholics reflect on the death of Pope Francis and the legacy he leaves behind here in Rhode Island
Invasive sea squirts are crowding out native species and clogging fishing gear, leaving scientists scrambling to track their spread
Brown and the Library’s mission is to ‘serve the community, the nation and the world by discovering, communicating and preserving knowledge and understanding in a spirit of free inquiry’
Survey of 500+ political scientists reveals growing alarm as U.S. democracy sees sharp decline under Trump’s second termat 4