STATEMENT: On President Trump's ACA-Killing Actions

Posted by Marc Stier on October 13, 2017 11:00 am
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Marc Stier, Director of the PA Budget and Policy Center, made the following statement in response to President Trump's recent announcements of actions that affect the Affordable Care Act:

"President Trump’s actions in the last two days put the health insurance of over 400,000 Pennsylvanians at risk. It will lead to an increase in health insurance premiums in the marketplaces of over 20%.

STATEMENT: On the Governor's Plan to Securitize PLCB Profits

Posted by Marc Stier on October 4, 2017 5:25 pm
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Marc Stier, Director of the PA Budget and Policy Center, made the following statement after the release of the Governor's plan to securitize PLCB profits.

GOP-Trump Tax Plan: A Windfall for Top 1% of Pennsylvania, a Tax Increase for Many Middle Class Pennsylvanians

Posted by Marc Stier on October 4, 2017 11:21 am
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A 50-state analysis of the GOP tax framework reveals that in Pennsylvania, the top 1 percent of taxpayers would receive a substantial tax cut worth $67,970 while many upper middle class Pennsylvanians would face a tax increase. This plan is bad for Pennsylvania and our country.

No time for giving up

Posted by Marc Stier on October 3, 2017 6:21 pm
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It appears that members of the General Assembly are moving towards a final plan for funding the budget they passed in June. We share the sense of relief that is gradually emanating from the Capitol—we, too, are tired of talking about the budget. But we also know that the urge to get something done can sometimes overcome the urge to get it done right. So now is the time for members to demand that this budget not just be finished but be finished right. That means two things.

Rigging the Economy to Further Benefit the 1% -- the Pennsylvania Numbers

Posted by Stephen Herzenberg on October 3, 2017 4:07 pm
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Last Friday, we got the first national estimates of who benefits from the Trump Tax plan -- the "Unified Code for Rigging Our Tax Code Further to Benefit the 1%." While that's not the official title, it's more accurate than the Trump Administration name -- "the Unified Framework for Fixing Our Broken Tax Code." Last week's analysis by the Tax Policy Center showed that, by 2027 (Table 3 in the Center's report), 80% of the benefits would go to the top 1%, an increase from 53% in 2018 (Table

Don't Let the Extremists Win

Posted by Marc Stier on September 29, 2017 12:43 pm
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 There are lots of rumors about a budget deal flying around Harrisburg but few details and even less assurance that the deal will stick, that is, that votes will be found to approve in in the House and the Senate.

 What little we hear is concerning. And the best way to understand our concerns is to look again at why we have not reached a deal until this point—extremists control the Republican Party in the House.

The GOP Federal Tax Proposal: Multiple Reasons to Worry

Posted by Marc Stier on September 27, 2017 12:00 am
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The outline of the tax proposal released by President Trump and Republican House and Senate leaders should worry all Pennsylvanians for multiple reasons.

Graham-Cassidy Repeal Bill — Just Plain Bad for Pennsylvania

Posted by Marc Stier on September 22, 2017 10:09 pm
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As I write this, it is possible that the Graham-Cassidy bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act and make major changes to the traditional Medicaid program is already dying or dead. Two Republican members of the Senate, McCain of Arizona and Paul of Kentucky, have said they will vote against it. Senator Collins of Maine has announced that she is leaning against it. I’m hopeful that Senator Murkowski of Alaska will all announce that she is against it.

The Budget Solution We Need

Posted by Marc Stier on September 20, 2017 9:59 am
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It appears that the Pennsylvania Senate is about to vote to not concur with the recently-passed House bill to fund this year’s budget. That will set the stage for what will certainly be intense negotiations among the four legislative caucuses and Governor Wolf about a compromise bill. We hope these negotiations will be completed quickly, as the state is already delaying payments to the pension funds and Medicaid managed care organizations and the state is getting very close to a credit down grade that will cost hundreds of millions over the next few years.

What the PA Credit Downgrade Means

Posted by Marc Stier on September 20, 2017 7:36 am
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The decision by Standard & Poor’s to downgrade Pennsylvania’s credit rating should come as no surprise. There was ample warning by S&P and other credit agencies, as well as by political observers including us at PBPC, that this would be the result of the continuing failure of Republicans in the General Assembly, and especially Speaker Turzai and his followers in the House, to raise sufficient recurring revenues to close state’s long-term structural deficit.
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