Here's Commonwealth Foundation's weekly news roundup of policy issues being debated in Harrisburg and across Pennsylvania.
We hope you have a great weekend!
Fiscal Fallout: Pennsylvania Funding Has Spiked 64% Under Last Two Governors
Nathan Benefield, chief policy officer of the Commonwealth Foundation, a free market think tank, said Shapiro and Wolf, as well as Ed Rendell, a Democrat who was governor from 2005 to 2011, deserve blame for overspending.
"The situation would be worse if the legislature hadn’t rejected those spending increases—and rejected several proposed tax increases in that time," he said in an interview with The Center Square. "And every time there was a significant budget impasse—including this year—was because the governor wanted to spend significantly more than the legislature would go for."
New Ad: Stopping Shapiro's Energy Tax
Commonwealth Foundation launched a new digital ad this week calling on the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to follow the Senate's lead and pass a bill to block Governor Shapiro from entering the commonwealth into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which would impose an energy tax on Pennsylvanians. Click here to watch.
Take Action: Tell Your Lawmaker to Stop Shapiro's Energy Tax
The Pennsylvania Senate has voted to block Shapiro's energy tax. Now the House needs to vote.
Sen. Fetterman Shows Gov. Shapiro What Bipartisan Leadership Looks Like
Unfortunately for the people of the commonwealth, Gov. Josh Shapiro has openly embraced government shutdowns—both in Washington, D.C., and Harrisburg. Not only is Pennsylvania the only state in the union without an enacted budget, but the governor is also publicly cheering for continued dysfunction at the federal level.
While addressing the federal shutdown on a prominent national podcast, Shapiro asked, “Why the hell should the Democrats give up their vote for nothing?” During the same interview, the governor said that he’s “all in” with the U.S. Senate Democrats—with the notable exception of U.S. Sen. John Fetterman—and their intransigence, which is keeping the federal government shuttered.
Commonwealth Foundation Leads the Conversation on Pennsylvania’s Energy Future
Pennsylvania’s role as a national energy leader took center stage during a dynamic panel discussion hosted by the Commonwealth Foundation at Shippensburg University.
The event—introduced by the Commonwealth Foundation’s Vice President, Stephen Bloom, and moderated by Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel Megan Martin—convened prominent energy experts to discuss Pennsylvania’s path toward a sustainable and prosperous energy future. In attendance were business leaders, lawmakers, community members, students, and university staff.
