DOVER, DE- With a proposed $6.58 billion budget on the table and a potential deficit looming, Delaware lawmakers are looking for ways to save money. Representative Danny Short (R-39th District) believes he has a solution: cutting more than 2,200 vacant state positions that have remained unfilled for months—or even years.
After reviewing Governor Matt Meyer’s proposed 2026 budget, Republican lawmakers like Rep. Danny Short have expressed concerns over the potential for tax increases and the budget's overall sustainability.
The proposed budget includes new initiatives such as increased spending on teacher salaries, affordable housing, and healthcare.
It also introduces three new tax brackets for individuals with annual incomes exceeding $125,000, $250,000, and $500,000.
The proposed budget represents a 7.4% increase over the current $6.1 billion spending plan.
Rep. Short argues that the state could help close the gap by eliminating over 2,200 vacant state jobs that have remained unfilled but continue to cost the state money.
"Why would you even want to have to account for that money when, in fact, you're not going to spend it, and you know you're not because you haven't?"
Rep. Short believes this cut could save the state more than $40 million without laying anyone off, stressing that the state needs to find ways to save as much as possible in these tough economic times.
"It doesn't hurt anybody. I mean, you're not telling someone like the angst you hear on the federal side where you know, someone's losing their job. There's nobody there at this particular point."
Other Republican lawmakers, like Rep. Lyndon Yearick (R-34th District), agree with the idea, saying that with a looming deficit, the state needs to look closer at how it’s using its resources now more than ever.
"I think it's just in the best interest, full transparency to remove those positions from that agency's budget line."
However, Democrats, including Governor Matt Meyer, remain skeptical about the proposal.
In a statement to WBOC, Governor Meyer’s office said, "[Governor Meyer] knows playing accounting shell games with vacant positions will help Delaware thrive about as much as these national tariffs do."
Rep. Kerri Evelyn Harris (D-32nd District) also voiced concerns, urging lawmakers to proceed cautiously and wait for more data before cutting vacant jobs.
"Until we have the data from the departments to know, are these expected to be long-term or short-term, how do they fit into the retirement plans? We can't just say we'll take that money and roll it back into the budget."
As lawmakers review the budget in legislative committees, a final plan is expected to be voted on in June, just ahead of the July 1 start to the 2026 fiscal year.