Stimulus checks for Pennsylvanians: Here’s where direct relief stands

Families Can Receive Stimulus Checks Worth $4,500 In 2022

Gov. Tom Wolf has advocated for Republican-led General Assembly to pass legislation that would send $2,000 stimulus checks to Pennsylvanians but after months of pushing for direct payments, his plans reportedly have been stalled.
The governor made a $1.7 billion proposal back in February. Part of the proposal was direct payments to many Pennsylvanians making $80,000 or less. Though, Republicans are just sitting on the funds part of the American Rescue Plan.
“I’m talking about $2 billion that’s sitting in a checking account out in Harrisburg that if we don’t use it by the end of 2024, we have to send it back to Washington. Do you want to do that? I don’t,” Wolf recently said while also acknowledging the payments would help with rising inflation, CBS Pittsburgh reported back in June.
According to The Morning Call, Republicans have been largely against the proposal, even after the House and the Senate presented House Bill 2531 and Senate Bill 1204 in support of Wolf’s proposal.
Jason Gottesman, a House Republican spokesman, told FOX43 that more direct relief would cause more inflation woes.
“This is the same bad policy coming from another Democrat to artificially prop up the economy that’s led to the same inflation problems that we’ve seen across the country,” Gottesman told FOX43, citing the state needs to move in a different direction with its economy.
“We need to make sure that we are spending in strategic areas and making smarter investments in Pennsylvania,” he added. “We need to make sure that we are saving that money to deal with these future economic uncertainties and we’re returning taxpayer investment into the commonwealth.”
Though, Wolf previously said in a statement the state budget should be able to aid Pennsylvanians in. their financial struggles instead of sitting on the $2.2 billion.
“Pennsylvanians should not have to choose between paying for utilities or groceries, childcare or gas. We have the opportunity and the means to ensure they’re not struggling, to ensure their success. I’m asking the General Assembly to unite across aisles on this for the sake of every Pennsylvanian — for when they succeed, our commonwealth succeeds. Let’s get this money out of our coffers and into the pockets of Pennsylvanians,” Wolf stated.
Wolf went on to state, “The program aims to help families still recovering economically from the COVID-19 pandemic or support them with covering pandemic-related costs and managing the current, every day increasing cost of living.”
Wolf’s press secretary Elizabeth Rementer said the governor is most definitely “disappointed” in the Republican-led General Assembly for not pushing the plan.
“Recognizing that people are hurting and need help now, the governor in February introduced this proposal in February as a means to provide Pennsylvanians with immediate relief utilizing some of our remaining federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars,” Rementer recently said. “Unfortunately, the Republicans did not move on this concept and it was not a part of the final budget. The governor is proud of this year’s budget, but is disappointed that the Republican-led Legislature didn’t advance his plan.”
Though, Rementer said the fight for stimulus checks isn’t over, saying Democrats will continue the push.
“He is going to keep fighting for it because, again, Pennsylvanians need help, and there is still time in this legislative session,” Rementer said without providing any further details on Wolf’s plan to push his proposal for stimulus checks among many other programs.