Pennsylvania House Republicans are poised to harm Pennsylvania 's disabled citizens and domestic violence survivors all while ignoring pleas from faith leaders who are begging Republican leaders to help Pennsylvanians who need help the most.
Since the 1930s, Pennsylvania has provided minimum funding--now $200 a month -- to help tens of thousands of its most vulnerable residents afford food and other necessities. The state does this partly out of compassion, but also because this relatively meager assistance actually saves the state money:
People who receive General Assistance include disabled or sick adults without children, domestic violence survivors, adults caring for someone who is sick or disabled, and adults participating in alcohol and other drug treatment programs. (...)
Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania Executive Director Liz Hersh said many recipients use the money to cover the shelter fees or a room in a boarding home. She said the elimination of this program would increase homelessness and place a demand on already saturated resources.
“This is really a prevention program and if we eliminate it, it will perversely cost more money,” she said.
But instead of providing help for Pennsylvania residents who need help the most, Pennsylvania House Republicans passed a multi-billion-dollar giveaway for the state's largest corporations.
Now over 100 faith and community organizations, including the United Way and Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran, Unitarian Universalist and Jewish groups, are asking Pennsylvania’s Republican legislators to re-examine their priorities:
"Our primary interest and concern is hunger, but hunger is just a symptom of other needs and challenges for people and so we see the elimination of General Assistance as majorly impacting people's ability to access shelter (and) food," the Rev. Amy Reumann, director of the Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania.
However, even with these pleas from people of faith, House Republicans are not impressed.
A spokesman for House Majority Leader Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny, said last week that the chamber's Republican leadership still planned to eliminate the program.
Governing is about priorities, and Pennsylvania Republicans are turning their backs on their neediest constituents in order to cut taxes.
Reposted from DLCC.org