Sen. Hughes unveils bold, innovative $4 billion COVID relief plan

The PA CARES 21 plan is supported by the PA Senate Democratic Caucus

People have been struggling and been bearing the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic. They need help and they need it now.

Whether that’s hardworking families, front-line workers, small businesses, our most vulnerable citizens and others hurt by this pandemic, the state legislature must act, and it must act now.

We are proposing the Pennsylvania CARES 21 plan to drive out aid across the commonwealth and help stimulate recovery. My colleagues in the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Caucus are supporting my $4 billion PA CARES 21 plan and we are urging the Republican-controlled General Assembly to take up this plan when we return in January.

Without additional help, families will be evicted, people will go hungry, small businesses will shut their doors, and we will see even more suffering than we already have. We were able to get some of the federal CARES dollars to aid programs. The Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Caucus stepped up with a plan and fought to ensure funding went to critical aid programs for rent relief, small business grants, and more. However, the recent supplemental budget passed in November prioritized using remaining CARES funding to fill budget holes. Now that we have solved Pennsylvania’s significant $4.3 billion budget deficit, it’s now time to solve the budget crisis that millions of our families are suffering from.

We’ve passed the budget and it is now time to put the people first and adopt a spending plan that helps drive out much-needed aid to those who have suffered through this pandemic through no fault of their own. The legislature’s top priority when returning in January must be to address the need in our communities. My colleagues in the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Caucus and I will continue to fight for the people as we recover from the devastating pandemic.