Four newly elected Governors weigh in on the tax deal

Natalie Gonnella

In 2010 gubernatorial races, the GOP made significant gains as 18 new Republican governors were elected.

With many states facing significant budget shortfalls, the ongoing tax cut dispute is of particular interest to newly elected state leaders.

Here's a look at some of the recent comments (and actions) on the bipartisan deal by some of the GOP's newly elected state executives:

Ohio Governor-elect John Kasich

Commited to lowering his state's deficit without raising taxes, Governor-elect Kaisch said of the tax deal: "I think it will have a positive impact…I think it is good news that we are not going to be raising taxes on anybody, not going to be raising capital gains, not punishing work.”

With regard to bipartisan cooperation, Kasich also commented:

"I think that Obama should have a smile on his face when he makes a compromise...rather than eating lemons, he ought to be drinking lemonade and have a smile. He's getting beat up by the left...I was at the White House and I encouraged him to extend those tax cuts. I told him that directly in front of a lot of people...I mean, we want to get the economy moving again, give businesses some certainty. The only downside to this is they only extended for two years."

South Carolina Governor-elect Nikki Haley

Speaking to Fox News, Governor-elect Haley was displeased with the lack of austerity within the agreement. Haley commented that in the current economic climate "we need to learn to live within our means…what we saw in this tax bill was increased taxes and increased spending…for the first time the federal government actually incentivized people to die…the fact they raised taxes in unconscionable.”

Haley further added that “government was intended to secure the rights and freedoms of the people, it was never meant to be all things to all people…if ever there was a time to be conservative it is now.”

Oklahoma Governor-elect Mary Fallin

With regard to the tax extension Governor-elect Mary Fallin recently said, "As governor-elect, my primary concern is that the federal government prevents any kind of tax hike on the citizens of Oklahoma."

Fallin added "while my preference is to make the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts permanent, a temporary extension is certainly preferable to an increase in taxes and the job loss and hardship that would accompany it."

Of the agreement's impact on the deficit due to increased spending on provisions like unemployment benefits, Fallin was not so agreeable, commenting that increased taxes to pay for ‘bloated bureaucracies’ is not the right way to lower the deficit.

Fallin continued that "instead, the federal government should focus on reforms that reduce unnecessary spending and eliminate government waste."

Kansas Governor-elect Sam Brownback