Warner: Vote to End Emergency Declaration ‘a Win for Democracy’

May 29, 2020

HARRISBURG – Rep. Ryan Warner (R-Fayette/Westmoreland) issued the following statement after joining a majority of his House colleagues in voting to terminate a portion of the governor’s disaster declaration and allowing Pennsylvania businesses to reopen.

“Week after week after week, I am talking with people across the 52nd District and the entire Commonwealth who are begging and pleading for the opportunity to get back to work so they can support themselves and their loved ones. They are tired of being told to live in fear. They are tired of being held captive by the governor’s orders.

“The passage of House Resolution 836 is a win for democracy. It is also a lesson in how a representative government is supposed to work. I am proud to stand up for the people who sent me to the Capitol to represent them and make their voice heard to a governor who is clearly out of touch with the realities of their lives.

“Nearly three months into this disaster declaration, there is no need for unilateral decision-making from the governor and his secretary of Health. The General Assembly is a duly elected and coequal branch of government with not just the ability but the duty to listen to our citizens and act in their best interests.

“The governor claims he is basing his decisions on science and data, but what has his science and data gotten us? With nearly twice the population of Pennsylvania, Florida has recorded fewer than half as many deaths. Why? Why should we put our health in the hands of a governor and health secretary who made it a policy to return COVID-19-positive patients to nursing and other long-term care facilities that house the population we’ve long known to be the most vulnerable to the impacts of this virus? Nearly two-thirds of our state’s total deaths have occurred among patients in these facilities.

“While the people of Pennsylvania have done their best to rise to the challenge against this pandemic, they have been let down by this administration at virtually every turn. From the inconsistencies and lack of fairness in the business waiver system, to the collapse of the unemployment compensation system, to the constantly changing ‘guidance’ on how to conduct our business and our lives, and finally to the deadly mismanagement of our long-term care facilities, I think it’s time for the governor to stand down and restore the power to the people of this Commonwealth. We are beyond ready to reopen and recover, both from the pandemic and the travesty of the Wolf administration’s leadership.”

Representative Ryan Warner
52nd Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Patricia Hippler
717.772.9846
phippler@pahousegop.com
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