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Gov. Tom Wolf Threatens to Withhold Coronavirus Aid to Defiant Counties
On Monday, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf threatened to withhold coronavirus aid to counties that defy his shutdown order. He described them, saying they are “choosing to desert in the face of the enemy.”
The governor angrily expressed his remarks – “breaking from his normal, mild-mannered tone,” reported Fox News. According to Wolf, the defiant county officials were “operating illegally” and “jeopardizing the lives of citizens of those counties.”
“To those politicians who decide to cave in to this coronavirus, they need to understand the consequences of their cowardly act,” Wolf said at a press briefing. “They are engaging in behavior that is both selfish and unsafe.”
“These folks are choosing to desert in the face of the enemy in the middle of a war that we Pennsylvanians are winning and that we must win,” he added.
Wolf lifted his stay-at-home order last week. He allowed golf courses, marinas, private campgrounds, and some retailers to remain open. However, the governor warned that the shutdown “can be loosened in a county or region only once virus trends hit key benchmarks laid out in his reopening plan,” reported Fox News.
Lawmakers' Reactions
A Pennsylvania statehouse candidate and a group of local businesses asked the US Supreme Court to issue a stay on Gov. Tom Wolf's order closing all non-life-sustaining businesses due to the novel coronavirus pandemic https://t.co/CPMDkXsjJ2
— CNN (@CNN) April 28, 2020
Several lawmakers in Pennsylvania’s Franklin County sent a letter to Wolf. In it, they told him about their plans of going against his shutdown orders. According to them, the county has met the requirements of the initial stay-at-home order.
“We, the undersigned, as duly elected state and local officials take the safety of our constituents very seriously,” they said. “Subsequent movement to returning to normal operations will be at the discretion of the undersigned when certain thresholds are achieved.”
Wolf also received a letter from officials in Lancaster County. “We prefer to act with your cooperation, but we intend to move forward with a plan to restore Lancaster County,” the letter states. “Governor, we don't question your motives, however given all that has unfolded over the past several weeks, we must question your methods. We believe we share the same goals: public health, safety and an economy that can begin to recover.”
According to Fox News, the governor’s threat comes as he “faces pressure to speed up the reopening not just from within Pennsylvania, but also from the White House.”
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