HARRISBURG, PA − January 6, 2026 − Today, State Senator Art Haywood, and Senator Jay Costa, Democratic Party Leader, gathered in the Main Rotunda of the Pennsylvania State Capitol to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the January 6, 2021 insurrection and to honor the law enforcement officers who courageously defended democracy and the rule of law.
Joining the Senators were several members of the Senate Democratic Caucus, Pastor Hank Johnson of Brethen in Christ U.S church in Mechanicsburg, and Lana Walmer of Market Square Presbyterian Church in Harrisburg.
The commemoration was held in remembrance of those who lost their lives, in recognition of the officers who ran toward danger, and in gratitude for the sacrifices made by law enforcement officers and their families in defense of the nation’s democratic institutions. The event underscored that honoring law enforcement and speaking truthfully about January 6 is not a partisan exercise, but a moral obligation rooted in respect for democracy, dignity, and peace.
“The United States is a nation of laws, norms, democracy, and justice. Having a law enforcement background myself, I will never forget watching officers run towards danger as rioters attacked our nation’s capital five years ago,” said Leader Costa. “By issuing blanket pardons to hundreds of people convicted of attacking the capitol, President Trump’s message to law enforcement was that he and his administration will pick and choose when to have their backs, and that’s downright unacceptable. I am recommitting myself and my entire caucus to restoring decorum, dignity, and peace to our halls of power as we observe the fifth anniversary of this terrible chapter in US history.”
Senator Haywood emphasized that the purpose of the gathering was to center the humanity, courage, and sacrifice of law enforcement officers who stood in defense of democracy.
“Today, we raise our voices to say to law enforcement that we see you, we honor you, and we thank you for defending our democracy,” said Senator Haywood. “We encourage all Americans to join us in support of the Capitol Police and all law enforcement. Members of Congress, staff and visitors who in the capitol on January 6, 2021.”
“On this day five years ago, the integrity and strength of our democracy was tested by violence and destruction. As we remember this dark day in America’s history and those who lost their lives, it’s important to denounce any and all political violence,” said Senator Vincent Hughes. “Let us disagree peacefully. Let us work together towards solutions even if we may differ on the best way to get there. It’s the responsibility of every leader in America to call out political violence for the poison that it is and encourage a commitment to peace and the rule of law.”
Senators Haywood and Costa stressed that January 6 must be remembered with honesty and care, not as a political talking point, but as a moment that tested the nation’s commitment to the rule of law. Both expressed hope that, with time, history will more fully honor those who protected democratic institutions and speak truthfully about the attempt to overturn a lawful election and undermine constitutional governance.
The commemoration concluded with a call to recommit to democratic norms, reject political violence, and uphold the dignity of law enforcement officers who continue to serve as guardians of public safety and constitutional order.
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HARRISBURG, PA − October 28, 2025 − Today, Senate Democrats held a press event to introduce the Pennsylvania Food Bank and Hunger Relief Grant Program, legislation that will allocate $50 million from the Rainy Day Fund for the Department of Agriculture to send to food banks, an additional $10 million for Meals on Wheels, and another $2 million to cover administrative costs. This program will support 18 food banks and is essential to addressing food insecurity and hunger issues resulting from the Republican’s Federal Government shutdown.
Twenty two members of the Senate Democratic Caucus signed on as co-sponsors to the Pennsylvania Food Bank and Hunger Relief Grant Program, introduced as Senate Bill 1080.
Nearly one in eight Pennsylvanians benefits from SNAP, and the Trump administration’s decision to withhold nearly $366 million in monthly payments places an extraordinary strain on Pennsylvania’s food banks and charitable food systems.
Members of the Senate Democratic Caucus expressed that while the Commonwealth does not have the capacity to replace the roughly $366 million in monthly SNAP benefits Pennsylvanians receive from the federal government, the legislature does have the resources to assist food banks to ensure their shelves remain stocked to respond to increased demand when SNAP benefits cease on November 1, 2025.
“This is an emergency,” said Senator Art Haywood, the Democratic Chair of the Health and Human Services Committee in the State Senate. “SNAP food benefits end Saturday, November 1, should the federal shutdown still be in place. This will crush families and neighbors across Pennsylvania, and these changes will leave people hungry. It’s hard to be in a more outrageous position than to be holding up the food for our neighbors. Denying people food is a violation of their dignity.”
“Food banks are remarkably resilient and efficient. However, we are facing a perfect storm of resource constraints, from unpaid federal workers turning to the charitable food system to essential funding for critical anti-hunger programs being held up in the state budget impasse,” said Julie Bancroft, CEO of Feeding PA. “Now, a potential wave of two million people who won’t be able to access their SNAP benefits will need to rely on food banks. Food banks need relief to be able to serve neighbors as best as possible in this crisis.”
“With the loss of SNAP in November, we are now facing an acute hunger crisis on top of the existing one,” said Shila Ulrich, CEO of the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. “We’ve seen a 44% increase in hunger in the last two years, while the cost of food, fuel, and distribution remains high. Every week, we meet more working families – people with jobs – who are choosing between groceries, rent, and medicine. It’s a sustained structural crisis that requires policy stability and bipartisan leadership. Food banks are strong —we’ve been strong and resilient —but we cannot fill the gaps left by prolonged inaction. ”
“If this isn’t a crisis, I don’t know what is,” said Senator Judy Schwank. “To use hunger as a political weapon is unconscionable. One of SNAP’s greatest strengths is that it connects people with fresh, healthy, local food. Farmers benefit from steady sales, and families get nutritious food that helps build bodies and support good lives. Everybody wins. But that won’t happen in November, and the destruction won’t only be felt in Pennsylvania. It will ripple across the entire country.”
“I want to encourage everyone to donate and volunteer at their local food bank. But make no mistake, charitable food pantries cannot fill the demands or the infrastructure that the SNAP program is leaving behind,” said Senator Lindsey Williams. “The feds are counting on our sense of decency not to let people starve while they build a giant golden ballroom at the White House.”
Earlier today, Governor Josh Shapiro announced that Pennsylvania joined a multi-state lawsuit to demand that the US Department of Agriculture use available, Congressionally-appropriated contingency funding to pay SNAP benefits for November.
You can rewatch today’s press conference here. Downloadable footage is available upon request.
Learn more about the Pennsylvania Senate Democrats commitment to every Pennsylvanian here.
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Sharing personal stories, statewide data, and personal experiences, legislators urge Republicans at the state and federal level to join them in opposing cuts to critical social safety net programs
HARRISBURG, PA − June 30, 2025 − On Monday, June 30, members of the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Caucus gathered in the East Wing Rotunda to draw attention to the urgency of stopping Trump’s domestic policy bill from becoming law. In its current form, the bill poses an existential threat to Medicaid, SNAP, and rural hospitals across Pennsylvania.
“Senate Democrats stand united and resolute in our message: Care, not cuts,” said Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa. “We urge in the strongest possible terms our Republican colleagues to join us in condemning Trump’s big ugly bill – there is room for you in our movement for care, food, and hospitals for every Pennsylvanian.”
“There’s nothing beautiful about this bill,” said Senator Vincent Hughes, Senate Democratic Appropriations Chair. “Cutting healthcare and food assistance is not who we are as Pennsylvanians. It is not who we are as Americans. The only people who are being served by these cuts are the richest of the richest. We as Pennsylvania Senate Democrats are sending a message to people that it is not too late. You can still make a phone call and let your Senators and Congressperson know that this is the wrong way to go. Let them know that this bill is unacceptable.”
On May 22, a budget bill that would strip 15 million Americans of health insurance and 3 million families of healthy food was passed in the US House of Representatives. This legislation will be detrimental to Pennsylvania communities and puts incredible pressure on the PA state budget to bridge the funding gap the federal government threatens to create. These cuts will be especially harmful to rural areas, where hospitals, often the largest employers of the areas, are the backbone of economies.
“The so-called ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ is a reckless, regressive package that prioritizes corporate tax cuts and political posturing over real solutions for working families,” said Senator Sharif Street. “At a time when Americans are demanding action on healthcare, economic justice, and civil rights, this bill offers the exact opposite: deeper inequality, fewer protections, and more division. I stand with the communities who will be most harmed by this legislation.”
“Take it from a nurse who worked in hospitals and nursing homes: healthcare for our low-income and aging neighbors in Pennsylvania is not ‘waste’,” said Senator Collett. “When healthcare facilities across Pennsylvania are forced to close their doors, when seniors can no longer access care, when families must choose between medicine and meals—remember who made these cruel choices: the Republicans who wrote and voted for this catastrophic legislation.”
President Trump’s domestic policy bill, currently working its way through the United States Senate, would represent the largest wealthy transfer from poor and working-class Americans to the wealthiest in US History. While adding trillions to the national debt, this bill threatens the healthcare access of at least 300,000 Pennsylvanians who rely on Medicaid and 140,000 Pennsylvanians who rely on SNAP.
“This isn’t just a budget fight. It is a fight for our neighbors’ dignity and survival,” said Sen. Haywood (D-4). “These cuts will rip food from tables, care away from children and those with disabilities, and security from seniors. We will not stand by while politicians trade people’s lives for political points.”
Downloadable footage of today’s presser is available here. Still photographs are available upon request.
Learn more about the PA Senate Democrats’ commitment to quality, affordable healthcare for every Pennsylvanian here.
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Sharing personal stories, statewide data, and personal experiences, legislators urge Republicans at the state and federal level to join them in opposing cuts to critical social safety net programs
HARRISBURG, PA − June 2, 2025 − On Monday, June 2, Senate and House Democrats banded together for a rally in the Capitol to raise awareness of the catastrophic impacts Trump’s budget proposal would have on Pennsylvania’s families. Together, Senators and Representatives called on their Republican colleagues to join them in defending access to care, medication, and healthy food that Trump and Musk’s DOGE cuts threaten to rip away.
“Our message is extremely simple: Care, not cuts,” said Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa. “It is not too late for Republicans who represent Pennsylvanians in the halls of power to join us in condemning a budget bill that will take care from our grandparents, food from our babies, and hospitals for our communities. We cannot stand idly by and allow this bill to move forward, and we call on our colleagues across the aisle to raise their voices with us in defense of every Pennsylvanian.”
“We are part of a coalition of state legislators from across the country who are calling out the big, ugly bill and the damage it will do to our constituents. There is no state in the country who has the capacity to cover the cuts that are included in this bill,” said Senator Vincent Hughes, Senate Democratic Appropriations Chair. “The United States is the richest country in the world. We should be having a conversation about how to expand healthcare, education support, food support for families, and jobs that pay better wages, but instead we’re forced to talk about this big, ugly bill.”
On May 22, a budget bill that would strip 15 million Americans of health insurance and 3 million families of healthy food was passed in the US House of Representatives. This legislation will be detrimental to Pennsylvania communities and puts incredible pressure on the PA state budget to bridge the funding gap the federal government threatens to create. These cuts will be especially harmful to rural areas, where hospitals, often the largest employers of the areas, are the backbone of economies.
“The huge ugly bill would carry out the greatest redistribution of income from people at the bottom and middle of the income distribution to the top,” said Marc Stier, Executive Director of the PA Policy Center. “The cuts to Medicaid and SNAP total $1.1 trillion dollars over ten years. And households with incomes over $500,000 a year receive a $1.1 trillion dollar tax cut. People use Medicaid and SNAP temporarily, to overcome short term difficulties they face. So while 3 million Pennsylvanians are currently benefiting from Medicaid and 2 million from SNAP, over a five year period perhaps twice that many take advantage of these program.”
“The Trump Administration has been unleashing chaos for nearly six months, and the Big Bad Bill that Congress approved continues with careless cuts that will harm access to health care in communities across the commonwealth, while weakening our state’s economy,” said Speaker of the House of Representatives Joanna McClinton. “Pennsylvanians deserve more from elected officials in Washington. Here in Harrisburg, we will not give up the fight to help families and communities thrive.”
Already, Trump and Musk’s federal cuts have begun to inhibit programs that support Pennsylvania farmers, families with young babies, and older Pennsylvanians: The Farmers Market Nutrition Program, which helps low-income seniors access healthy local produce, has had to roll back its anticipated distribution. Per the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, each WIC agency expects to receive approximately 49% of their requested quantity of vouchers, and each Senior agency expects approximately 74% of their requested quantity of vouchers.
“The Republican plan is a trillion-dollar attack on the dignity of working families, children, seniors, and people with disabilities. It guts healthcare, food, and housing support while protecting billionaire tax breaks,” said Senator Art Haywood. “Every day, I hear from Pennsylvanians who fear what will happen to them and their loved ones if Medicaid and Medicare are slashed. I challenge anyone who supports these cuts to say it directly to the thousands who rely on them. Congress must reject this cruel legislation.”
“For four months the Trump administration has done everything in their power to make life miserable for working families to fund tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy,” said Representative Malcolm Kenyatta. “This bill breaks every promise the President made to working families. The US Senate must reject it!”
“My first professional oath was not as a legislator, but as a physician to do no harm and advocate for the health and well-being of my patients and community,” said Representative Arvind Venkat. “As an emergency physician, I have seen how Medicaid is critical to ensuring all Pennsylvanians have access to care. I can state unequivocally that the dangerous and morally bankrupt attempt by President Trump and Congressional Republicans to rip away Medicaid and healthcare access from hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians will cost lives. We must raise our voice to oppose this devastating proposal for the health and well-being of the residents of our Commonwealth.”
Downloadable footage of today’s presser is available here. Still photographs are available upon request.
Learn more about the PA Senate Democrats’ commitment to quality, affordable healthcare for every Pennsylvanian here.
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HARRISBURG, PA – August 27, 2024 – Today, Auditor General Tim DeFoor released the results of a performance audit of state contracts and oversight of Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) used by Pennsylvania Department of Human Services’ (DHS) HealthChoices Medicaid Program.
In response to the findings and framing of this report, Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa and Senator Art Haywood, Democratic chair of the Health and Human Services Committee, released the following statements:
“This performance audit offered an opportunity for the Auditor General to engage meaningfully in a conversation with the Department of Human Services about protecting patients, local pharmacies, and health practitioners across Pennsylvania,” said Senator Costa. “Instead, we received an audit that fails to capitalize on the work of the House and the Senate and misleads taxpayers regarding industry practices. I am deeply discouraged that we have not harnessed this moment to take on abuses of PBMs, and I certainly anticipate much more work in this space as we move forward to deliver quality, affordable healthcare to every Pennsylvanian.”
“I am very disappointed in the Auditor General. After the tremendous bipartisan legislation to address practices of PBMs that hurt pharmacies he has issued a false audit,” said Senator Art Haywood, Democratic chair of the Health and Human Services Committee. “Instead of auditing the federal and state definition of spread pricing, which we prohibit, he is auditing his own definition. This is an unfortunate abuse of power and unacceptable.”
The Senate Democratic Policy Committee held a hearing about pharmacy deserts and PBMs in April 2024. Footage of the hearing and written testimony from speakers is accessible here.
Read more about the PA Senate Democrats’ commitment to quality, affordable healthcare for every Pennsylvanian here.
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