On Monday, State Senator Scott Wagner performed a typical Harrisburg political stunt in an attempt to divert attention from his role in closing three unemployment call centers:
York Dispatch: Wagner gives $150 to some furloughed employees
Wagner has been a primary focus of criticism among the furloughed workers and their unions after the Senate failed to vote on a bill that would have provided the department an additional $57.5 million in funding for the 2016-17 fiscal year.Wagner said he led the charge against holding a vote on the bill, which passed in the House 175-13, because the department had already received four years of additional funding and needed to be held accountable for not showing improvements.Department statistics issued to Senate leadership before the end of session show the additional funding had been used to prevent layoffs and push its unemployment compensation program above federal standards.
Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chairman Marcel Groen issued the following statement:
“In Harrisburg it was Scott Wagner who threw Pennsylvania workers under the bus, right when they needed him most. When Governor Wolf and Republicans and Democrats in the House came together to find a solution to keep the unemployment call centers open, Scott Wagner made sure that didn’t happen, and $150 dollars in cash can’t cover that up.”