Pennsylvania Senate Democrats have unveiled a $4 billion plan to combat the effects of the coronavirus.

The act would target small businesses, hospitals, schools and colleges and provide direct payments for unemployed workers and front-line workers. It would also provide assistance for the food insecure as well as those who need support with utility bills and housing assistance.

The relief package is generous and compassionate, but it isn’t the right plan for Pennsylvania.

The state would not be issuing money from federal grants as it did in the first wave of coronavirus relief efforts, but rather capitalize on current low interest rates to take on $4 billion in debt to issue emergency assistance in hopes that the federal government would backfill some of that support. The plan also calls for draining the $200 million-plus Rainy Day Fund.

It needs to be said: mortgaging the future to rescue the present is neither sustainable nor advisable.

One Democratic senator has said that the debt could be paid back without raising taxes.

Senate Republicans, predictably, waved the plan away, pointing out that the PA CARES 21 Act isn’t a long-term solution. A spokesman has said there must be a bipartisan effort to restore the state’s economy rather than taking on additional billions in debt.

It may sound callous, but it’s a fair argument.

The state isn’t withholding resources from its people — it simply doesn’t have them.

Democrats were right to criticize Senate Republicans for using the unspent $1.3 billion in federal aid to balance the state operating budget rather than funneling that cash to residents in need.

Talk of such sweeping relief efforts come from a place of sympathy. But such talks must be more grounded in economic realities.

With unemployment skyrocketing and basic needs at concerning levels, things are dire for a huge number of Pennsylvanians.

If Republicans are serious about a “commonsense” response, as they’ve talked about, they should come to the table ready for serious discussion about what can be done.

While the current plan on the table calls for broad, sweeping relief efforts, a better argument could be made for taking on debt with a more tailored, targeted effort focusing on those in the most dire circumstances and with more specific information about ways to repay that debt.

— Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS)