Gov. Wolf : Budget deficit will have state ‘scrambling’
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf said Thursday that the state will be “scrambling” to find ways to fill a coronavirus-driven budget deficit that has been estimated at $5 billion over two years.
His comments came during a news conference where tensions between the Democratic Wolf administration and the Republican-led Legislature over the pandemic were discussed. Afterward, Republican spokespersons for the House and Senate both said Wolf’s approach to the pandemic has exacerbated fiscal problems.
Wolf said the ideal thing to help state finances would be for federal lawmakers and President Donald Trump to approve another stimulus package.
But it is unclear whether that will happen, especially with an increasing focus on the election and the filling of a vacant U.S. Supreme Court seat.
Wolf did not give a figure for the estimated state deficit. But previously issued estimates were around $5 billion, excluding $1.3 billion in federal coronavirus relief funds the state has not yet earmarked for use.
Federal rules attached to that prevent its use to replace lost revenue or plug budget holes.
“All of us are going to be looking, scrambling to find ways to plug that deficit,” Wolf said.
The state, he said, has to work on getting itself back on its own feet. He said he would work to “shore up” finances whenever possible.
Responding to Wolf ’s comments on finances, a spokeswoman for Senate Republican Majority Leader Jake Corman said, “Ever since the governor has refused to take levelheaded steps to allow Pennsylvania’s
employers to reopen in a reasonable manner, we have said the damage to the economy would be significant and lead to long-term difficulties.”
Jason Gottesman, a spokesman for House Republican Majority Leader Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, said Wolf ’s “self-described draconian measures” are still affecting the state’s job creators, workers and families.
“It has been no secret that the best way to balance the budget is through the normal course of state revenues and we have been encouraging Gov. Wolf to end his shutdown and work with us to restore Pennsylvania’s economy as soon as possible,” Gottesman said.
Politics and coronavirus
On Monday, Wolf vetoed a bill that would have given school districts authority to run sports events during the pandemic. On Wednesday, a House attempt to override the veto failed, with 24 Democrats who voted for the bill changing their position to vote against the override.
Asked about those Democrats who flip-flopped, Wolf noted he has only been in politics for less than six years.
But he said his perception was, “You want to do what you can in terms of being sympathetic to your constituents, but in the end we all have to stick together, and I think the overwhelming majority of the Democrats did that.”
Wolf declined to assign any importance to the now-defeated bill even though it originally got “yes” votes from 155 of 202 House members, and 39 of 50 senators.
“What we can’t do is just sort of do some feel-good law that says ‘OK, we are going to suspend the law of gravity. We are going to say that this virus isn’t going to infect people.’ It will. It is out there and it is waiting for us to do stupid things,” Wolf said. “What they did here, I don’t even know what the point was.”
Asked by a reporter to name the last time he spoke to Republican leaders of the Senate and House, Wolf could not say when it was but “it wasn’t too long ago.”
Wolf said he and the Republican leaders have ways to reach each other, and insinuation of poor communication “is a red herring. That doesn’t make any sense.”
Gottesman, the spokesman for the House Republicans’ leader, said that Wolf’s lack of concern about engaging with lawmakers is a concern. And Gottesman gave a different picture of administration-Legislature communications.
“We have an open door for the governor to work with us. We have asked both privately and publicly for his engagement and input on behalf of Pennsylvanians, but he has refused,” he said.
Virus update
The Pennsylvania Health Department reported 853 more cases of the coronavirus Thursday as a 14-day moving average of hospitalizations dropped to its lowest level in months.
The newly reported cases brought the total statewide to 153,397.
There were 422 people hospitalized for the virus at midday Thursday. Through much of August and early September, the figure was above 500 and in late July it was above 700.
The 14-day moving average of hospitalizations dropped below 460 Thursday, the first day that has happened since early in the pandemic. In early June, the same average was more than 1,000.
Centre County had 124 new cases Thursday and Philadelphia had 114.
In the Lehigh Valley, there were 21 more Lehigh County cases to bring its total to 5,551, while there were 22 more cases in Northampton County to bring the total there to 4,443.
The state reported 17 more deaths from the virus, to bring the total to 8,079.