People are still hurting in America from the pandemic. That means people are still hurting right here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The ravages of the Coronavirus hit our economy, education, our everyday lifestyles – life, as we knew it.
My original intent for this article was to catch up with PA State Senator Vincent Hughes and interview him. It was largely supposed to be a story about the concerns that Senator Hughes is hearing most often from constituents, as they continue to grapple with life, as we continue to live in the midst of a pandemic. However, what I walked away with was a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Some Republicans in the PA State House and PA State Senate are doing everything they can to refuse to help people in need in our state. Many have and continue to suffer major losses of revenue and forced business shutdowns due to the virus.
It’s so crazy. It’s almost unbelievable, except to say that I have known Vincent Hughes since I was 21 years old. I knew him before he was an elected official. I’ve watched him grow as an elected official from a PA State Representative to a PA State Senator. I’ve known him as a well-respected trustee of Mount Carmel Baptist Church, where I worshipped for some 34 years. I’ve watched him as a good son, father, and grandfather. When Vincent Hughes comes with a message, he’s telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Here’s some of what Senator Vincent Hughes shared with me that has left me shaking my head and saying out loud: “Shame on you Republicans in Harrisburg, PA for sitting on money that people in our state need to help them survive through this very difficult time in our nation’s history.”
Senator Hughes stated, “The pandemic has never ended. It’s still going on, and the frustrations that people have, come in a number of different areas. Small businesses, especially Black and Brown small businesses, have still not recovered. Some may never reopen. If they have reopened, many of them are still feeling the significant financial impact and they’re looking for help. The pandemic, the vaccination issue, is still wanting. Folks are still not going to get the vaccine at the level they need to be. Quite frankly, I’m in the position right now of paying people to take the vaccine and increasing incentives to get people to take the vaccine. Whatever is going to move communities to get the vaccine, we need to do. That’s the only way, number one, we’re going to keep people healthy, and number two, come out of this economic crisis that we’re in and move forward. We’ve got to get the vaccine.”
“We’ve got the housing issue going on. That still remains problematic. The evictions and foreclosure issues are still a problem. We could talk about all the areas that have been problematic for the last 18 months, that we have still not rebounded from,” Senator Hughes stressed.
But this is where the Senator who hails from Philadelphia says the problem lies. Senator Hughes says the public policy crime lies in the fact that in Pennsylvania, the Republicans have chosen to sit on seven billion dollars of unspent money. According to Senator Hughes, this money was designed, to be spent to help people from the American rescue Plan. But Republicans have made the decision to sit on that money and to not spend it.
Senator Hughes added, “I said this to the President, (Joe Biden) several weeks ago when he made a speech at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. I said this to Senator Casey’s Chief of Staff and to some of my Congressional friends. We cannot allow our will, both legislative will, and intent, to be thwarted by Republican Legislators, not just in Pennsylvania but across the country, that is not spending the money that has been sent to them to get out to help people. That is the public policy crime going on right now. We all need to pay attention to this, and we all need to be speaking about this in a public fashion.”
What can everyday people like you and I do to make our voices heard about this emergency funding just sitting “on ice” in Harrisburg? Truly the only thing we can do has to do with the power of the pen. We have to write letters and petitions and send them to the Republican lawmakers in Harrisburg, demanding that they do the right thing and release the 7 billion dollars that they have on hold right now.
We also need to write our Democratic lawmakers at the state level such as State Senator Vincent Hughes, State Senator Art Haywood, State Senator Sharif Street, State Rep. Joanna McClinton, State Rep. Donna Bullock, State Rep. Jordon Harris, State Rep. Morgan Cephas, State Rep. Jason Dawkins, State Rep. Darisha Parker, and others, and tell them, “Hey, we appreciate what you are doing to fight for us in the state capitol. Keep up the good fight. Keep on getting in good trouble.”
Below are just a few of the names of Republican elected officials in Harrisburg that need to be called to task for not doing the right thing with the 7 billion dollars earmarked to help our citizens during this pandemic nightmare.
There are two hundred and three PA State Representatives. Of that number, 113 are Republicans, and 88 are Democrats. There are two vacant seats.
Pennsylvania has two United States Senators. One is a Democrat, Bob Casey. The other is a Republican, Pat Toomey, and after December of 2022, he’s retiring.
Bryan Cutler (R) is the PA Speaker of the House. Kerry Benningoff (R) is the PA House Majority Leader. You can also send letters to State Rep. Donna Oberlander, State Rep. Stan Sayler, State Rep. George Dunbar, State Rep. Martin T. Causer, State Rep. Kurt A. Masser, and State Rep. Martina A. White, all members of the Leadership of the PA House of Representative. Google their names for addresses and emails.
On the PA State Senate side, the following are elected Senators you can send a letter to: State Senator Jake Corman, State Senator Megan Martin, State Senator Donetta M. D’Innocenzo, State Senator Kim L. Ward, State Senator John R. Gorner, State Senator Ryan P. Aument, State Senator, Patrick M. Browne, State Senator Camera Bartolotta, State Senator Mario M. Scavello and State Senator Elder A. Vogel, Jr.
They are all in Republican senate leadership in Pennsylvania. Send them all the same letter, but addressed individually saying, “Release the 7 billion dollars earmarked to help our citizens of this great Commonwealth through the devastation from COVID-19. Stop playing Republicans.”
