HARRISBURG, PA – July 14, 2025 – Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa and Senate Democratic Appropriations Chair Vincent Hughes released the following statement after the House of Representatives passed HB 1330, an important step to closing out this year’s budget:
“We commend House Democrats for their leadership in passing HB 1330. This is an important step toward finishing our work on the budget and resolving a host of other issues important to the people of Pennsylvania, including transportation funding and the regulation of skill games.”
“The budget process has dragged on long enough and issues that have strong bipartisan support are being held hostage because of it. For example, Senate Democrats have 23 votes to fund roads and bridges and mass transit today. We know Senate Republicans also support infrastructure funding. Yet, nothing happens. It’s time for Senate Republicans to allow a vote on the Governor’s transportation/mass transit proposal, which has passed the House four times over the past two years. We are confident it will pass overwhelmingly.”
“Senate Democrats are committed to bringing this budget to closure. Governor Shapiro has already signed a number of budget related bills to fund some state agencies, and now the House’s action today brings us one step closer. It’s time for Senate Republicans to work with us to bring the budget to completion.”
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 – May 22, 2025 − This morning, Republicans in the US House of Representatives passed a budget bill that will result in 15 million Americans losing their health insurance and 3 million American families losing access to healthy food.
Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) and Senate Democratic Appropriations Chair Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery) released the following statement in response to the shameful movement of the Republican Tax Scam:
“Congressional House Republicans passed legislation that will hurt Pennsylvanians, Pennsylvania communities, and Pennsylvania’s economy, for the sole purpose of cutting taxes for America’s ultra rich.
From the minute Republicans announced their plan to cut trillions of dollars in federal spending to fund their tax cuts, state lawmakers across the country, including us, sounded the alarm about the impact these cuts will have on Pennsylvania families and Pennsylvania’s budget. Republicans claim they are saving money, but they are not. They are simply pushing the cost of these programs onto the states, which don’t have the financial resources to fill the hole they are putting in state budgets.
Make no mistake, the so called “big, beautiful bill” is a big disaster for Pennsylvania, with rural Pennsylvania likely to see devastating consequences. Yet, our Senate Republican colleagues have been and remain silent, apparently afraid to speak up for their constituents.
Pennsylvania’s elected Senators and Representatives, Republicans and Democrats alike, have a responsibility to condemn the cuts in this bill. It’s time for our state Republican colleagues to speak up. It’s time for them to join Democrats in calling out the impact these cuts will have on Pennsylvania families and communities. At this critical inflection point, every single Pennsylvania legislator should be working together to stop these cuts, regardless of our party affiliation.
This morning, 215 Congressional Republicans voted for the biggest healthcare cut in history. 10 of those Republicans represent Pennsylvania. Those 10 representatives sold out Pennsylvania to cut taxes for billionaires. The silence from our state Republican colleagues speaks volumes.”
Learn more about the Senate Democrats’ commitment to accessible, affordable healthcare for every Pennsylvanian here.
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Harrisburg, PA − April 2, 2025 − Senate Democrats held a press conference on Wednesday to kick off Fair Housing Month, observed nationally every April, and call for state action on Housing.
Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa was joined by Democratic Appropriations Chair Vincent Hughes, Senator Wayne Fontana, Senator Tim Kearney, Senator Sharif Street, Senator Tim Kane, Senator Lindsey Williams, Senator Maria Collett, and Senator Amanda Cappelletti. Senator-elect James Malone, the first Democrat to represent Lancaster in the State Senate since 1889, also joined the press conference.
“Senate Democrats have long prioritized delivering safe, affordable homes for every Pennsylvanian, and we are here today to renew that commitment to the people of Pennsylvania amid federal chaos,” said Democratic Leader Jay Costa. “We are committed to delivering for working families by ensuring that they can raise their children in a safe home they can afford right here in Pennsylvania.”
National Fair Housing Month celebrates the passage of the Fair Housing Act, a national law that prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental and financing of housing based on race, color, national origin, religion, and gender. The Act was passed in 1968 and amended in 1988 to include protections for people with disabilities and families with children. However, the current presidential administration has begun to roll back the incredible progress of the Fair Housing Act and has terminated grants to organizations that enforce the Fair Housing Act nationwide.
“For the PA Senate Democratic caucus, housing discrimination is not acceptable,” said Senator Hughes. “We will do whatever we have to do to make sure housing is a right that is available to everyone, no matter who you are, where you come from, what your background is, or who you love.”
A few weeks ago, Senator Hughes protested the freezing of federal dollars to an organization in his district to enforce the Fair Housing Act at the behest of President Trump and Elon Musk.
“As lawmakers, we have a duty to build on the foundation laid by the Fair Housing Act with responsive, forward-looking policies that meet today’s challenges,” said Senator Cappelletti. “While we may not be able to eliminate every obstacle Pennsylvanians face, we have a responsibility to pass meaningful legislation that eases their burdens.”
During the conference, members of the Senate Democratic Caucus discussed the importance of protecting the progress made by the Fair Housing Act and discussed ways to keep up the momentum on the state level, from zoning reform to eviction sealing to repairing our aging housing stock to building more new affordable housing.
“As a realtor by trade, I am proud to recognize Fair Housing Month and the public, private, and non-profit organizations that work tirelessly to ensure access to safe and affordable housing to any person who wants it,” said Senator Wayne Fontana. “Equitable access to affordable housing benefits our entire commonwealth. Now more than ever, it is important that we all work to ensure the guarantee of the Fair Housing Act is fulfilled in the commonwealth.”
The 2024-25 Pennsylvania Budget included a number of important investments in the housing space, including $70M for the PHARE Affordable Housing Program, $2.5M for new Local Government Emergency Housing Support, over $23.4M for Homelessness Assistance, a $2.5M increase for Domestic Violence programs and services, and a $2.5M increase for Legal Services programs.
“Ending discrimination in housing means ending exclusionary local zoning regulations that make affordable and accessible housing all but illegal in too many towns across PA,” said Senator Tim Kearney. “We need all municipalities to allow for housing types the average Pennsylvanian can afford, and we need the state to lead our communities because the housing crisis is affecting all of us.”
Photographs and video footage of today’s press conference are available upon request.
Learn more about the Senate Democrats’ commitment to every Pennsylvanian here.
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