Gov. Stitt Press Conference: 5 key topics addressed

Gov. Kevin Stitt outlined his plans for a half-point tax cut, limiting government spending, supporting business growth, addressing immigration challenges, and preparing for future state budgets amid national economic uncertainty.

Wednesday, January 29th 2025, 6:44 pm

By: Anna Denison


Gov. Kevin Stitt outlined his legislative priorities in a press conference on Wednesday, including tax cuts, budget discipline, immigration policies, business-friendly initiatives, and energy independence, as he addressed reporters at a press conference.

"Half and a Path" Tax Plan

Stitt reaffirmed his commitment to reducing the state income tax, proposing a half-percent cut with a long-term plan to phase it out entirely.

“I hope to get a half and a path done this year,” Stitt said. “I think the Senate and the House are ready to deliver on that for Oklahomans.”

He argued that tax cuts would benefit taxpayers and prevent excessive government spending.

“Our economy has been booming every single year that I’ve been in office,” he said. “We need to give that money back to the taxpayers in the form of a tax cut.”

Budget and Spending Discipline

Stitt defended his push for tax cuts despite some state agencies requesting additional funding, pointing to Oklahoma’s financial reserves.

“Remember, we’ve got $4.6 billion in savings,” he said. “I’m not afraid to invest in certain things, but we cannot continue to increase spending every year by, you know, over the next six years by another 50%.”

He also compared Oklahoma’s approach to other states.

New York and Florida, those are two states in our country that have very similar population sizes,” he said. “New York has a budget of over 230 billion dollars. Florida’s budget is 115 billion.”

Immigration and Inmate Deportation

Addressing immigration, Stitt discussed efforts to deport incarcerated individuals who are in the country illegally.

“We have about 536 people incarcerated in state prisons that are here illegally,” he said. “We are having to balance, yes, justice for the families and the victims.”

However, he assured Oklahomans that the state would not release dangerous criminals.

“We’re not going to, across the board, release bad people without serving justice,” Stitt said. “But there are people that are, at the end of their sentence, and they’re about to get out.”

Economic Growth and Business Initiatives

Stitt emphasized policies aimed at making Oklahoma more attractive for businesses, including tax cuts and regulatory reforms.

“We got that [business courts] passed last year, and we want to signal to the business community that Oklahoma is the place to be headquartered,” he said.

He also mentioned cutting the business tax and improving permitting processes.

“I’ve cut it already two points in Oklahoma,” he said. “We want to cut another half a point in the business tax, which will also signal to businesses that they can set up and they can be successful here.”

Energy Policy and Federal Funding

Stitt criticized policies that rely heavily on renewable energy and defended natural gas as a necessary energy source.

“With wind or with renewables, you can’t count on them when you need to,” he said. “There’s about 35,000 megawatts of energy that is in the Southwest Power Pool from wind. But … the amount of energy that you can count on is only 5,000.”

Regarding federal funding concerns, Stitt dismissed fears about core services being affected.

“A lot of overreacting, first off,” he said. “We’re not talking about SNAP benefits. We’re not talking about Medicaid.”

Stitt reaffirmed his confidence in Oklahoma’s future economic growth.

“I see great opportunity for Oklahoma in the future, and I think our revenue will continue to climb up and to the right,” he said.

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