A 2012 law that ended the $200 monthly cash assistance program was struck down on a technicality related to how it was passed, not on its substance, and Gov. Wolf restarted the program.
Now, as legislative leaders and the governor work to hammer out a new budget due at the end of month, it appears a bill to again end the program is poised to get a vote in the Republican-controlled legislature.
Republican Pat Browne, the Senate Appropriations Committee chair, says some provisions have been added to the bill to help the poor, including money for hospitals and non-public nursing homes that take in Medicaid patients. “By not only providing additional state dollars, but additional federal Medicaid dollars, too," Browne said.
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When asked if Wolf will veto the bill, a Wolf spokesman would only say that the governor opposes the elimination of financial assistance.