News & Brews May 24, 2023

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Pa. Supreme Court to hear RGGI case today

Today, the Pa. Supreme Court is slated to hear arguments over the constitutionality of former Gov. Wolf’s unilateral act forcing Pennsylvania into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). Republican lawmakers have noted that legislative approval would be required for Pa. to join the regional carbon tax scheme. It’s unclear when the court will issue a ruling.

‘Recipients rack up thousands in Pa. food stamp card balances’

PennLive reports that 566 Pa. households that receive food stamps were each sitting on $10,000 or more on their Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards. And, “More than $400 million in federal aid intended to help feed low-income Pennsylvania families went unspent last month.” This has raised serious questions over Gov. Josh Shapiro’s call to expand food stamp benefits. Instead, some are calling for Pa. to request a waiver from the federal government to try placing a cap on benefits. Republican Appropriations Chair Seth Grove (York County) said, “You’re taking resources away that could be deployed to people who actually need it. If you have an account balance of $10,000, it should send a red flag.”

Philly suburbs see double-digit rise in crime

Crime from 2021-2022 was up double digits in three of Philadelphia’s four collar counties. Broad + Liberty reports that Delaware, Montgomery, and Bucks counties had “the largest increases coming in property crimes like burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle theft.” Meanwhile, “Chester County, which does not share a border with Philadelphia, was the only ‘collar county’ bucking that trend. There were decreases in nearly every category but one.”

Rep. Kelly: ‘Runaway spending is ruining our future’

U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, who represents the 16th Congressional District in northwest Pa., writes in the Erie Times-News that “Washington has a massive spending problem” that is “nothing short of an existential crisis facing our country.” Indeed, at $31.7 trillion, the national debt breaks down to nearly $100,000 per person. Kelly warns that lawmakers must stop Washington’s “reckless spending” for the sake of our future and today’s success.

‘Get ready for a Dugan-Zappala rematch’ for Allegheny County DA

Last week, George Soros-funded progressive Matt Dugan defeated longtime Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala, Jr. in the Democrat primary. But if you thought the race is over, think again. Zappala won enough write-in votes—on the Republican ticket— to run as the GOP nominee against Dugan in November. No Republican ran in the primary. Now, as the Democrat Party faces an identity crisis between progressive and establishment Dems, that crisis will head to the ballot box in November.

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