Gov. Rick Scott's $79.3 billion proposed budget came under withering criticism from lawmakers on the powerful House Appropriations Committee Tuesday, a signal the spending plan could face long odds getting passed by the Republican-dominated Florida Legislature.

Scott's budget director, Cynthia Kelly, faced sharp questioning about whether the governor's request for a $1 billion tax cut package benefiting businesses would crowd out spending on critical needs like schools, prisons and child protective services.

"I don't see anything in this budget with a pay raise, and I'm not saying we have to go out and sell the farm," Rep. George Moraitis (R-Ft. Lauderdale) complained of the absence of raises for state employees.

The governor has maintained his budget proposal adequately funds state government while at the same time allows for "targeted investments" in the form of the tax cuts and an increase in education funding.

State economists, however, are projecting a surplus of just $635 million, much less than the $1 billion necessary to pay for the tax cuts. For that reason, Scott's budget would sweep $473 million from local property tax collections to make the math work. Some Republican lawmakers view the sweep as an effective tax increase and therefore oppose the governor's plan.

Rep. Janet Cruz (D-Tampa), in line to become the next House minority leader, picked apart another proposed sweep that would wipe clean the Sadowski Trust Fund, which pays for affordable housing.

"We're talking about perhaps too many tax breaks for major corporations and not enough for the working class families of Florida. It's just not equitable. There's no balance here. It's way too lopsided," Cruz said, predicting Scott's budget blueprint would amount to "nothing" by the end of the 2016 legislative session.