WASHINGTON — The coronavirus pandemic and the related economic crisis have taken a sharp toll in Pennsylvania, but one Republican legislator thinks his constituents shouldn’t expect any relief from him. In remarks delivered on the House floor, Representative Jim Cox argued that it should be up to the private sector and individuals to solve this crisis — not the government. While shocking, his comments are hardly surprising from a party that is doing everything it can to avoid being held responsible for the consequences of the pandemic.
“I guess if he could go back in time, Representative Cox would ask individuals to shoulder the burden and solve the Great Depression or World War II all by themselves,” said Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee President Jessica Post. “Americans are suffering and are looking for strong leadership, but they’re not going to get that from the Republican Party. We need to vote them out this November and elect leaders who will actually stand up for their communities.”
Republicans in Harrisburg have been anything but willing partners in the Keystone State’s coronavirus response, working to undermine Governor Wolf’s public health measures at every turn. Like the GOP at all levels of the ballot, it seems they would rather pretend the problem doesn’t exist than take real action to help struggling families.
Democrats need to flip just nine seats in the House and four in the Senate to win control for the first time in over a decade. Governor Wolf carried 41 Republican-helddistricts in his reelection campaign, giving Democrats a long list of targets as Trump’s continued toxic unpopularity weighs down Republicans in suburban districts across the state.
As of this morning, there have been over 126,000 cases and over 7,000 deaths attributed to the coronavirus in Pennsylvania.
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