Republicans’ Pandemic Resistance Movement Coming Up Short In PA

By Christen Smith | The Center Square

Last week, Pennsylvania legislative Republicans tried and failed – again – to strip Gov. Tom Wolf of broad emergency powers awarded to him under a disaster declaration he’s extended twice this year.

And with no end in sight, the frustrated majority party concedes state law will likely continue thwarting their ongoing efforts to roll back the administration’s pandemic mandates – unless legislative Democrats join the resistance, too.

It’s an unlikely scenario, but House GOP spokesman Jason Gottesman hasn’t ruled it out.

“Until more Democrats are willing to stand up for the people of Pennsylvania instead of standing with their political party or their governor, the Commonwealth will remain mired in the governor’s emergency rule,” he said. “We continue to call on them to stand with us – a united Republican caucus – against this governor’s overbroad, inconsistent, and contradictory orders.”

Nine Democrats defected during Wednesday’s vote to override Wolf’s veto on a resolution ending the disaster declaration – or less than half of what was necessary to achieve a two-thirds majority. The administration counters that extending the emergency status gives the state more flexibility to direct resources toward areas with emerging outbreaks and keeps the door open for critical federal disaster aid.

Most Democrats agree, affording the minority party a power it hasn’t wielded in years.

“The Senate Democratic Caucus does not plan to join the unproductive, political stunts and veto overrides that the Republicans are attempting,” said Brittany Crampsie, spokesperson for Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa, D-Allegheny. 

Bill Patton, spokesperson for the House Democratic Caucus, shot down the political maneuver Wednesday as more “Republican grandstanding” that pins the blame on Wolf while ignoring “real solutions” to the pandemic supported by the minority party. 

“Time and again House Republicans have tried to end the emergency prematurely, a mistake that would undo months of sacrifice and hard-won progress by Pennsylvanians and leave us unready for any resurgence,” he said. 

But Republicans argue the administration abuses the emergency powers to impose draconian restrictions based on fear and politics, not science. Wolf’s 25 percent capacity limit on bars and restaurants – a policy that could shutter more than 7,000 establishments across the state permanently and leave 200,000 unemployed – is one such example, according to Rep. Seth Grove, R-York.

“[The administration] didn’t have any contact tracing data to back up that ruling, outside of Allegheny County,” he said. “Again, going back to the point, is an Allegheny problem a statewide issue?”

Grove said he discovered a similar pattern when questioning the departments of Education and Health about Wolf’s recommendation against resuming school sports until next year, offered during an unrelated press conference last month. Both departments confirmed no public health data substantiates that guidance, Grove said, reaffirming “what so many people feared … the governor’s comment at the tail-end of a press briefing to recommend sports be canceled this year was made in the same haphazard way in which it was delivered.” 

The failed veto override represents just the latest missive in a six-month campaign to thwart the administration’s COVID-19 mitigation policies – so often imposed without any legislative input, Republicans say.

In response, the majority party has delivered more than a dozen bills to Wolf’s desk since March that often contradicted his restrictions on economic and social activities. Most were met with a veto pen. Sometimes, Democrats – particularly from the state’s western districts – joined the fray, casting votes in favor of loosening restrictions on garden centers, car dealerships and real estate agents.

But still, the attempts all failed.

In a last-ditch effort, the General Assembly approved constitutional amendments that would force future governors to seek legislative approval before extending a disaster declaration beyond 21 days. The measure won bipartisan support, but must survive another round of voting next legislative session before appearing on the ballot for voters to decide.

Gottesman said although the amendments provide hope, a quick end to the current pandemic restrictions seems unlikely.

“Until we reach a critical mass of lawmakers on the other side of the aisle that listen to Pennsylvanians rather than their governor, any attempt to immediately bring about an end to his emergency authority will take time,” he said.

“Going forward, we will work to find areas within the current framework to continue expressing the voice of the people and provide them with the normalcy they desire while we simultaneously seek to rein in the Governor’s emergency powers with ongoing constitutional changes,” he added. “Looking ahead to our upcoming session weeks, we will be prioritizing business recovery and getting children back into the classroom safely. These are bipartisan issues in which we would hope the governor would start working with us, rather than against us, to deliver for the people of Pennsylvania.”

As for whether the Wolf administration will continue extending its emergency powers until a vaccine is available, spokesperson Lyndsay Kensinger said only that the governor is “constantly reviewing” mitigation tactics “to keep Pennsylvanians healthy and safe as conditions change.”

“Wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, and following the requirements set forth in the orders will help keep our case counts low,” she said. “We all must continue to play our part in working to ensure that cases continue to fall and we continue to protect our most vulnerable Pennsylvanians.”

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