Politics & Government
Here's How President Trump Will Impact Pennsylvania: A List
How will new president Donald Trump impact what we do in Pennsylvania? Some have some strong and not-so-strong opinions about it...
They're not predicting that President-elect Donald Trump will do the kind of harm that some predicted on the campaign trail. But the billionaire reality TV star and improbable election victor should certainly have an impact on everyday lives in Pennsylvania, analysts say.
Patch, thanks to several resources, has provided a list of the different ways the new president will have an impact on the Pennsylvania economy, health care and the rest:
Find out what's happening in Roxborough-Manayunkfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Health care
Ending the Obamacare program requires 60 votes in the U.S. Senate — something some observers said is unlikely, since lawmakers will face opposition from those who gained access to care, as well as hospitals, drug companies and insurance companies that also benefited from the 2014 law.
Of course, Congress can also pass budget matters with a simple majority — as it did when it approved the Affordable Care Act in 2010. So it could repeal it the same way, some lawmakers say.
Find out what's happening in Roxborough-Manayunkfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
As an alternative to the ACA, Trump has suggested he would provide federal block grants for states to craft their own Medicaid programs, instead of the current system that is run by states but primarily funded and governed by a national program, according to NJ Spotlight. He also has said he would allow insurance to be sold across state lines.
Transportation
Trump has pledged to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure, including its bridges and tunnels. Trump, however, will also be working with a Congress controlled by Republicans that could prioritize new tax cuts, and there are concerns that could make it harder for the federal government to generate the revenue needed to pay for major mass-transit projects.
Trump's advisors have said they would authorize $137 billion in tax credits for builders of new toll roads and bridges, enabling them to borrow money to finance up to $1 trillion in total spending, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Some of the southeastern Pennsylvania projects that could benefit, according to the report, include the following: upgrades to I-95, I-476, I-76, and the Pennsylvania Turnpike at Valley Forge, and more trails for the state's Circuit bike trail network. SEPTA projects would include Regional Rail extensions, the Navy Yard subway connector and a $1.1 billion extension to King of Prussia for the Norristown High Speed Line. That could also include a transit line that would run along the riverfront on Delaware Avenue.
The economy
It’s very unclear how a Trump administration will impact the economy. Trump talked throughout the campaign about lowering tax rates and reforming trade deals. His proposals on immigration, health care and energy could also impact the broader economy. But right now, exactly how those campaign positions will translate into policy is unknown — as is whether New Jersey could ultimately benefit, according to Fox News and NJ Spotlight.
Under Trump, Pennsylvania’s natural gas industry could see more output, fewer environmental restrictions, and more pipelines to take its products to market, and its embattled coal industry may also get more help, according to Impact Pennsylvania.
The state’s efforts to comply with the federal Clean Power Plan on power-plant emissions won't likely be necessary under a President Trump, who has called climate change a Chinese hoax and pledged to scrap the Obama administration’s signature environmental initiative.
Early this year, Trump also took aim at U.S. free trade deals in a speech delivered in Western Pennsylvania, saying wave of globalization "has wiped out totally, totally our middle class" and hurt industry in western Pennsylvania that has been outsourced to other countries, according to Fox News. He has promised to either rip up old trade deals, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement, or perhaps engage in trade wars with other countries - and charging a tax for companies that move plants overseas.
Meanwhile, many Pennsylvania and New Jersey businesses, supporting thousands of jobs, export products to countries around the world, according to The Courier Post. They could be wary of Trump’s positions on global commerce, most notably regarding China, which the state’s No. 1 foreign trading partner, said Rutgers economics professor Thomas Prusa.
Environment and energy
Trump has already picked someone who is considered a "climate change denier" to head his EPA transition efforts. The Republican often supported weakening the maze of environmental regulations and called for bolstering efforts to allow expanded exploration for oil, natural gas and coal, Impact Pennsylvania and NJ Spotlight noted. He wants to scale back the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency and kill its plans to combat global warming by ratcheting down emissions from the nation’s power plants.
Education
Trump has laid out some broad positions on some of the issues important in New Jersey and elsewhere. He has shown disdain for the federal role in public education as a whole, suggesting the elimination of the federal Department of Education altogether.
Patch file photo
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