Under failed Democrat Governor Tom Wolf, Pennsylvania has gone broke. And that’s not a figure of speech – Pennsylvania literally can’t pay its bills.
On Friday, Pennsylvania missed $1.7 billion in payments towards Medicaid, school districts and other services for the first time in its history, putting the vulnerable who rely on healthcare and schoolchildren at risk.
The Associated Press reports, “It is the first known time that Pennsylvania state government has missed a payment as a result of not having enough cash.”
Tom Wolf has consistently refused to do his job and use his constitutional authority to veto out of control spending, causing years of unbalanced budgets. Under Wolf, the Morning Call notes that “The state has had deficits for several years, even though the constitution says the budgets must be balanced.”
As Pennsylvania spirals out of control, Wolf is nowhere to be found. The Morning Call writes, “Wolf, a Democrat, has taken a back seat in budget talks for months.”
Tom Wolf’s refusal to exercise leadership is harming Pennsylvania. He’s proven he’s not capable of doing the job of Governor.
HARRISBURG, PA.
Pennsylvania state government will delay more than $1.7 billion in payments due largely to Medicaid insurers and school districts, Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf said Friday, amid an unprecedented cash crunch and a fight in the Republican-controlled Legislature over how to plug a projected $2.2 billion budget hole.
Wolf's office issued the brief statement acknowledging the delays on the day the state's main bank account was projected to dip below zero. Wolf did not make a public appearance to discuss the payment delays, but his office said he would speak with top lawmakers by telephone over the weekend to discuss the budget stalemate.
The payments are reimbursements for medical care, addiction treatment and mental health counseling under Medicaid and for the state's share of pension obligation payments to Pennsylvania's school employees pension fund. The Medicaid reimbursements, due Friday, will be delayed for at least a week, Wolf's office said.
School districts expected the pension obligation reimbursements to be delayed by a matter of a few days, although state officials expect rolling delays of payments, at least until spring, for as long as the budget stalemate goes on.