We’re over 100 days without a state budget and everyday Pennsylvanians are bearing the brunt of the legislative in-fighting. Philadelphia’s only rape crisis center cut services and employees due to lack of funding. In-state college students are still waiting for financial aid. And the School District of Philadelphia is borrowing money to pay for contracts and other operational costs. So what gives?
State Sen. Nikil Saval, whose district covers parts of South Philly, Southwest Philly, Center City, and the River Wards, sat down with City Cast Philly to discuss what’s happening (or not) inside senate chambers.
Can you explain to Philadelphians why we still don’t have a state budget?
“ Senate Republicans have not put forward a serious budget proposal that would meet the needs of the commonwealth. The Pennsylvania House Democrats put forward a proposal that would fund the government at about $50.6 billion. Senate Republicans responded with a flat funding budget proposal, which effectively amounts to a cut to services. Since things, of course, became more expensive over time, they have not come to the table.
“This is a tremendous crisis and it frankly can be laid at the feet of a single party and their members in the Pennsylvania legislature. Many of them feel that they have no obligation to meet the needs of the commonwealth. Many of them feel that spending cuts are essential. Many of them feel that this is a way to sort of blacken the name of Governor Shapiro, who is running for reelection next year. There are a lot of different motives at play for withholding real negotiations on a state budget. But all of them amount to the same thing. And that's why we're here today.”
What is the political pressure that you’ll use to curb this?
“Ordinary people across this commonwealth, and this is where the power lies, don't support this stalemate. They don't support their funding getting cut or their school districts dipping into reserves and trying to take loans. People don't want that.
“The power that we have not just as elected officials, but as elected officials who can appeal to ordinary people who are feeling this struggle, is to organize sentiment across the state. Frankly, even beyond some of our districts. It's in that popular pressure that we can bring to bear on state government. And that pressure isn't just in legislation. It just doesn't happen in this building. It happens in politics as well. There are elections this year and next year. There are ways that the composition of the legislature can change and those are also forms of pressure. We need to be working to do both.”
How long will this last?
“We're months and months past the point, frankly, that a lot of us thought that we would be. And we're frankly working to find different levers, ultimately the biggest of them being popular sentiment, to end this budget crisis.
“I really encourage everyone … to reach out to their elected officials, including me, to indicate what is at stake in this budget fight for them. What is at stake when it comes to sustained transit funding. What is at stake when it comes to equitable school funding.
“ When it comes to domestic violence, when it comes to rape crisis, when it comes to food supports and nutrition, a lot of that gets done at the state level. And so where people are suffering, they need to let their elected officials know. And that is one of the critical ways that we can bring an end to this stalemate.”
