Governor Tom Wolf on Wednesday renewed his call for state lawmakers to approve his PA Opportunity Program which would send direct payments of $2,000 to Pennsylvania households with annual incomes of $80,000 or less. The cash would come from roughly $500 million in federal funding which continues to sit idle in Harrisburg. Republicans who run the state House and Senate claim Wolf’s plan would only contribute to rising inflation. The state has already spent approximately $1 billion in American Rescue Plan Act funds to help recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. GOP leadership says it prefers to hold the money in case of any possible budget deficit and in lieu of increasing taxes or decreasing services.
Meanwhile, Governor Wolf announced a $1.75-million dollar investment in a new FDA-registered formula manufacturer. ByHeart launched its infant formula last week from its plant near Reading in Berks County. ByHeart is now only the fifth infant formula maker in the United States. It’s hoped that the introduction of its product will help alleviate the baby formula shortage.
