HARRISBURG – December 10, 2020 – Today the following members of the Pennsylvania State Senate signed a joint statement – set forth below – denouncing the brazen attempt of the attorneys general of Texas and seventeen other states to disenfranchise millions of Pennsylvanians and voters in three other states by asking the United States Supreme Court to prevent electors in Pennsylvania and those other states that voted for Joe Biden from certifying him the winner when they meet in Harrisburg and the other state capitals on Monday, December 14.
The statement reads as follows:
“The lawsuit by the attorneys general of Texas, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and West Virginia is based on the outright lie that voter fraud prevented Donald Trump from getting re-elected. Since Election Day, the Trump legal team has filed scores of such suits trying to overturn the will of the people. Time and again, the judges in those matters – in many cases conservative, Republican judges, some of whom Donald Trump appointed himself – have found that there was no evidence to support those claims and dismissed the suits accordingly.
The bedrock of our democracy is the right to vote and the right of voters to be sure that their votes will be counted. This lawsuit and the others like them are a direct attack on that fundamental principle. It seeks to perpetuate the lie that the presidential election was somehow stolen. While partisan politics – and a desire to appease the president’s restive base – may be the motivation for this latest court challenge, allowing it to go forward in silence is dangerous and, we believe, would constitute a dereliction of our duty as elected representatives of the people to uphold the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
The facts are these: Joe Biden received over 81 million votes, more than any candidate for president in the history of the United States and about 7 million more than Donald Trump. He received 80,555 more votes than the president in Pennsylvania. Mr. Biden received the most votes in 25 states and the District of Columbia, and, therefore, on December 14 when the Electoral College convenes, will be awarded 306 electoral votes, 36 more than the 270 needed to be elected president. Every vote cast for Joe Biden was cast freely and fairly, whether in person or by mail. In each state the vote-counting process was transparent and undertaken pursuant to law. Local and state officials, both Republican and Democratic alike, have attested to those facts, and, as noted, the courts have agreed. Joe Biden won the election.
Donald Trump has lost his bid for re-election; he seems incapable of accepting that fact. For the first time in American History, a sitting president who lost re-election has refused to acknowledge his loss, acting instead like a would-be autocrat who cannot accept any outcome that does not have him staying in power. While that may be a commentary on the character of the man, it cannot be a cause for setting aside the will of the people.
All of us have a responsibility – indeed we would go so far as to say a sacred duty – to ourselves, our fellow Americans and generations to come to prevent the lie that this election was stolen from living on and undermining future elections. For these reasons we have signed this statement and call upon others to likewise speak out and denounce this lawsuit against our state for what it is: an attack on our democracy.”
Signed,
Senator Steve Santarsiero, 10th District
Senator Vincent Hughes, 7th District
Senator Maria Collett, 12th District
Senator Judy Schwank, 11th District
Senator Tim Kearney, 26th District
Senator Christine Tartaglione, 2nd District
Sen.-Elect Amanda M. Cappelletti, 17th District
Sen.-Elect Carolyn Comitta, 19th District
Senator Jay Costa, 43rd District
Senator Anthony H. Williams, 8thDistrict
Senator Katie Muth, 44th District
Senator Art Haywood, 4th District
Senator Sharif Street, 3rdDistrict
Senator Lindsey Williams, 38th District
Sen.-Elect Nikil Saval, 1st District
Sen.-Elect John Kane, 9th District
Pennsylvania − December 4, 2020 − Aiming to stimulate Pennsylvania’s economy by providing direct aid to workers, families, small businesses and other vulnerable populations, the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Caucus announced a bold, innovative $4 billion pandemic relief plan Friday morning.
The Pennsylvania Coronavirus Aid, Relief & Economic Security Act of 2021 (PA CARES 21) Plan would fund previously existing aid programs and establish new programs to help struggling Pennsylvanians and struggling areas of the commonwealth’s economy.
“Folks have not seen pandemic-specific relief from the state or federal government since last spring, yet thousands remain unemployed, underemployed and struggle with their housing and utility bills. This cannot go on any longer,” said Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa. “There are immediate needs in communities across this state that must be addressed immediately. We are in the middle of another surge in COVID cases, hospitalizations and deaths. We need help to recover, personally and financially; the state must play an active role in that recovery and that is what our plan today does.”
“Thousands of Pennsylvanians have been hurt by this pandemic and have received some assistance to get through this generational crisis — however it is time to do more in that space to get people the help they need,” Sen. Hughes said. “Rather than use federal dollars to help people in their time of need, we used the money to plug budget holes, telling people we had to keep state operations running to prevent further crisis. Having averted that crisis, it is now our job to step up and help our communities. They cannot wait any longer for help and the legislature must act now.”
PA CARES 21 authorizes the commonwealth to issue $4 billion in emergency debt to (1) recapitalize programs previously funded with federal CARES funds pursuant to Acts 2A, 24 and 30 of 2020 and (2) establish new programs that provide targeted assistance to struggling Pennsylvanians and struggling sectors of the Pennsylvania economy.
Where appropriate, this proposal utilizes the programs created under Act 24 of 2020 to drive out the funds. If proposed funding does not fit into an existing program (e.g., utility assistance), a new program will be created. Additionally, the caucus supports fixing programs created by Act 24 (e.g., PHFA’s rental assistance program) as requested by stakeholders to maximize program effectiveness.
The PA Senate Democrats propose allocating the funds to the following priorities (a detailed spreadsheet of the spending proposal is attached):
- $800 million in business assistance
- $1 billion in UC benefits
- $594 million in local government assistance
- $135 million in hazard pay
- $318 million in DHS programs
- $250 million in basic education
- $136 million in higher education
- $100 million to hospitals
- $100 million to utility assistance
- $75 million in child care
- $100 million in housing assistance
- $50 million in food security
- $25 million in pre-k education
- $25 million for PPE and vaccines
- $15 million for mental health funding
- $180 million in transportation funding
“There is no overstating the economic toll COVID has taken and continues to take on families and businesses across the Commonwealth,” said Senator Maria Collett (D-Montgomery). “As a former infection control nurse, I promise you that the sacrifices you’ve made have saved lives and prevented long-term health complications associated with this dangerous virus for so many. But I also know these words offer little comfort when you are struggling to pay the mortgage, or juggle your job and the constant changes to your kids’ schooling, or keep your business afloat. Government is supposed to work for you and that is exactly what our PACARES 21 proposal does. It identifies ways to get money into the hands of those who need it most, including those about to lose their COVID unemployment benefits, frontline workers, child care centers, and our main street businesses, especially local restaurants and bars, in the quickest, most efficient way possible. Your families and your businesses can’t afford to wait any longer for relief. So until our communities are safe and our economy is running at full steam again, it is critical that we extend this lifeline and do so now.”
“As the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in Pennsylvania continues to climb, it is the General Assembly’s duty and obligation to provide relief to all those affected – unemployed folks, front-line workers, small businesses, and especially hospitals that serve high-Medicaid populations as well as our institutions of higher education,” said Senator Tina Tartaglione (D-Philadelphia). “These are the pillars of society that serve us in our times of greatest need and will lead our recovery.”
“There’s no denying that cases of the coronavirus are growing every day,” said Senator-elect Carolyn Comitta (D-Chester). “We need to do more than just say, ‘help is on the way.’ We need a bold, innovative plan to deliver it to Pennsylvanians. PA CARES 21 gives us more tools, more resources, and the flexibility to prepare for the future.”
“We are entering a stage of the pandemic that is, by virtually every measure, worse than the first stage, laying bare and exacerbating inequalities in all our health systems, devastating essential workers, and disproportionately harming Black and brown people,” said Senator-elect Nikil Saval (D-Philadelphia). “We need to keep people in their homes, fight hunger and food insecurity, and give our children every tool they need to learn. We need this stimulus because our communities desperately need support and relief.”
More information on the proposal and the caucus’ work in pandemic relief is available online at pasenate.com/pacares.
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Harrisburg, Pa. − December 4, 2020 − Following an announcement from Republican Leaders in the General Assembly, Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa and House Democratic Leader Joanna McClinton issued a joint statement:
The facts are clear: Pennsylvania had a free, fair, and secure election. It was executed with the utmost integrity by our elections officials in every county and a cohort of poll workers across the state.
The votes, fairly cast, have been accurately counted and reported. It is time to move on and focus on a peaceful transition – rather than partisan efforts to undermine the results they don’t like.
Our democracy depends on well-earned faith in our processes and the announcement from Republicans in the General Assembly is intended to undermine that faith and sow doubt in our form of government. The sham process they have now unveiled, preceded by a COVID super spreader hearing in Gettysburg last week with Rudy Giuliani, is counterproductive, undemocratic and hypocritical as they seem to have complete confidence in their own electoral victories.
Furthermore, the thrust of their criticisms of the 2020 election stem from changes made in Act 77 of 2019 – which they broadly supported in both chambers.
If Republicans truly cared about improving our elections, they would have permitted pre-canvassing of mail in ballots – per the request of the Governor, Democratic members of the General Assembly, and every county in the Commonwealth.
While they continue their fanciful quest in pursuit of fraud, the priorities of the Senate and House Democrats will choose instead to focus on providing relief to families and small businesses suffering in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Pittsburgh, PA − November 25, 2020 − PA Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa released the following statement on the Senate Republican Policy Hearing featuring Rudy Giuliani and President Trump:
“If Senate Republicans want to entertain conspiracy theories from Rudy Giuliani and rally with defeated presidential candidate Donald Trump, they should do so on their own time and dime – not the taxpayers’,” said Senate Democratic Leader Costa. “By their own admission[1], they are coordinating with Trump’s campaign to steal this election away from the voters who decisively chose Joe Biden.
“Our process was secure and our count is accurate: a count that was certified this week, making today’s hearing even more inappropriate,” Senator Costa continued.
“It is a bold display of hypocrisy, the Senator who is hosting today’s hearing in Gettysburg himself was on the ballot in November. If he has concerns about the legitimacy of our process, I would hope that he would rescind his own claims of victory.
“For this democracy to survive, we must have a peaceful transition of power after a fair election. We’ve had a fair election and now it’s time for the transition. Thankfully, it is only a small group of leaders that refuse to accept the results of our election: Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and the Pennsylvania Senate Republicans.
“Joe Biden will be sworn in as our next president despite today’s circus in Gettysburg, but it is a shameful use of taxpayer resources and an insult to centuries of democracy in this country.”
[1] ‘I’ve been told in no uncertain terms by the state party and by our leaders that they are coordinating with the Trump campaign and so far PA has done everything that the Trump campaign has asked them to do.” – PA Senator Mike Regan (R-Cumberland, York) https://twitter.com/pennslinger/status/1325604097316302848
Pittsburgh, PA − November 21, 2020 − Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa, Jr. released the following statement on the news that Republican state legislators will join out-going President Donald Trump at the White House to discuss electoral college “options”:
Two of the most important hallmarks of democracy are fair elections and the peaceful transition of power. These are not partisan principles; they are central to our form of government, regardless of party affiliation. They are what separate us from authoritarian and totalitarian regimes.
Donald Trump supporters have indicated their interest in nullifying the results of our General Election to instead appoint “loyal electors” is an affront to all voters and our democracy as a whole.
It is such an outlandish idea that it has not happened in 150 years – since the election of Rutherford Hayes.
Voters must determine our next president – not a few Trump loyalists hand picked by Republican legislative leaders.
These plans were hatched in conjunction with efforts to undermine faith in mail in ballots, sow the seeds of doubt about non-existent voter fraud.
This election was held legitimately, without political interference or the threat of authoritarian schemes to keep President Trump in office.
I urge our Republican colleagues in the General Assembly to pledge to conduct this process fairly and accept its results peacefully.
Republican state legislators from Michigan have accepted an invitation to the White House to meet with the out-going President and aid him in an attempted coup.
There are reports that Pennsylvanian Republican legislators will be the next to receive such an invitation.
It is my sincere hope that they decline.
Joe Biden won Pennsylvania by 60,000 votes.
There is no confusion. There is a clear result and it’s time that it was respected.
We also must point out the gross hypocrisy of Republicans who partake in this misinformation campaign.
15 Republicans won election to this chamber in November’s election – but they are not questioning those results. They intend to take their seats in January and serve as senators of this body based on the ballots that were cast…. Meanwhile, they are questioning the results that led Biden to victory.
Those votes were cast on the same ballots. In the same counties.
They cannot cry foul for the top of the ticket and celebrate their own wins.
This is a shameful degree of hypocrisy and is at its base, anti-democratic.
It borders on sedition and I hope the members of this body decline to participate in an overthrow of our duly elected federal government.
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Harrisburg, PA − November 20, 2020 − Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa, Jr. released the following statement on the PA Budget:
“This is not the budget we wanted. It’s not a budget that provides enough assistance to those struggling with the economic woes caused by COVID-19. But it is a budget that reflects the crisis that we are in. With limited options for revenue and programs that desperately needed funding, this was the version that had the support needed to pass both chambers, keep state government programs in operation and prevent massive furloughs and layoffs of state workers.
If the Senate Democrats and I had our way, we would have used the $1.3 billion in CARES dollars that we had left to fund direct assistance programs for our small businesses, schools, hospitals, homeowners and renters. Using that money to balance the budget is a missed opportunity that leaves many in need. We also left millions of dollars in transportation projects unfinished in a time where our infrastructure needs work.
It is our hope that Pennsylvanians remain safe and healthy through the holiday season and when the General Assembly reconvenes in January that we are able to get to work in earnest on assistance programs to help us move forward from this difficult year.”
