Shapiro’s “Spooky” Spending Spree

It is trick-or-treat time—but Gov. Josh Shapiro is hoarding the treats for himself while he tricks Pennsylvanians.

As everyday Pennsylvanians struggle to afford the ever-increasing cost of living in the Keystone State, the governor enjoys a lavish life of luxury. With Pennsylvania taxpayers footing the bill, Shapiro continues to live large, dodge disclosure, and use public resources to build his personal brand.

Here are the six most frightening expenses that Shapiro likes to keep in the shadows.

$7 Billion Deficit

This fright fest began in February, when Shapiro proposed a $51.5 billion spending plan for the 2025–26 fiscal year—an 8 percent increase from the previous year’s budget.

But there was one big problem: The state does not have that kind of money. Pennsylvania’s Independent Fiscal Office (IFO), the nonpartisan entity that calculates the economic impact of proposed legislation, projected $44.5 billion in net revenues for the state—just $7 billion shy of Shapiro’s reckless proposal.

In a separate report, the IFO found that Shapiro grossly overestimated revenue. The governor relied on bad math and imaginary revenue sources—namely, legalizing recreational cannabis, expanding skill games, and enacting “combined reporting”—that have no hope of passing in the state legislature.

$3 Million PR Team

Don’t look now, but another TikTok video or national television cameo may give you a jump-scare.

Ever notice how often Shapiro appears on social media feeds or the TV?  There’s a reason for that: Governor Shapiro has a $3 million PR team—entirely funded by taxpayers.

How does this compare to other governors? According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Shapiro vastly outspent his predecessor:

The budget for the governor’s office as a whole increased 68% in Shapiro’s first 2½ years in office, from just below $7 million during Wolf’s last year in office to $11.6 million in the latest state budget. Shapiro in February proposed a further increase to $12 million for 2026.

Shapiro’s self-promotion machine works overtime not to inform Pennsylvanians but to polish his personal brand for a national audience. While his job responsibilities (such as finishing the state budget on time) remain unfinished, Shapiro flew to:

• Hollywood to appear on Real Time with Bill Maher.
• Nantucket for a private fundraiser.
• Canada for a press conference.
• New Jersey and Virginia to insert himself in their gubernatorial races.
• New York for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and The Breakfast Club.

Despite all this travel, Shapiro somehow found the time to write a book (or at least proofread whatever his spooky ghostwriters compiled).

Shapiro’s chilling misuse of public funds should startle Pennsylvanians. And if that doesn’t scare them, it should at least make them cringe, especially after watching this compilation:

☠️👻Lip-syncing and tax dollars and bloated PR teams, oh my!

There’s nothing spookier than Gov. Shapiro’s $3 million+ self-promotion mayhem.

🎞️Here’s what Shapiro’s been up to on TikTok.

(⚠️Warning: it might be the scariest thing you see this Halloween) pic.twitter.com/vgds6AixJ2

— Commonwealth Foundation (@MyCommonwealth) October 29, 2025

Jet Setting

It’s downright terrifying how little time Shapiro spends in Harrisburg. Instead, the governor spends an inordinate amount of time and public resources on travel.

During his first year in office alone, Shapiro racked up more than $270,000 in private-jet travel—again, all paid by taxpayers. That’s more than double the highest amounts of his predecessors, Govs. Tom Wolf ($136,000 in 2018) and Tom Corbett ($103,000 in 2014).

Spotlight PA noted, “In 2023, he took more total flights, spent more hours in the air, and racked up more flight costs than any first-year Pennsylvania governor in at least the past 12 years.

To make matters worse, this dollar amount doesn’t fully capture the full extent of the governor’s jet-setting. He failed to disclose his use of Pennsylvania State Police aircraft, leaving one government accountability activist to ask, “How many planes does one governor need?”

While racking up frequent flyer miles on the taxpayers’ dime, Shapiro soars above it all in luxury, rarely touching down long enough to deal with unfinished business in Harrisburg.

Mansion Upgrades

His mansion may not be haunted, but Shapiro certainly invests a frightening amount of taxpayer dollars to upgrade the governor’s estate.

While Pennsylvanians tighten their belts, Shapiro is living it up. Even worse, Shapiro’s team pressured merchants to stay silent and avoid media coverage of the questionable expenses, which include:

• $4,500 massage couch.
• $6,600 on TVs.
• $2,500 electronic dog door.
• $884 immersion blender.

Also, the governor has been oddly secretive about the cost of repairing the mansion following the recent arson attack. The governor has requested $23.3 million for the repair, but he has provided no details on how his administration will allocate the funds. Shapiro’s team has also denied Right-to-Know requests seeking to cast light on his utter lack of transparency.

Even more alarming: Shapiro wants to funnel all the funds through Team Pennsylvania, the governor’s secretive nonprofit slush fund.

Team PA

Deep in the shadowy halls of Harrisburg, Governor Josh Shapiro’s financial phantom—Team Pennsylvania—brews a mysterious cauldron.

Team PA is a “foundation” that keeps popping up whenever the governor appears at a major event. For example, the foundation funded Shapiro’s trip to Super Bowl LIX this year, providing the governor with $12,000 in tickets. The governor spent the time rubbing elbows with some of his biggest donors.

The foundation accepts both public and private donations and doesn’t disclose donors, setting the stage for potential conflicts of interest. Such gifts seem to violate Pennsylvania’s gift ban for public officials—something that the governor loosened once taking office. Turns out, that ban disappears like a ghost when Super Bowl tickets come calling. The governor has happily accepted pricey gifts at high-profile events—all paid for by undisclosed benefactors.

$2,000 Tax Hike

Somebody must pay for Shapiro’s scary spending habits—and that somebody is you, the Pennsylvania taxpayer.

If enacted, Shapiro’s reckless budget all but guarantees statewide tax hikes. Without addressing Pennsylvania’s structural deficit, the governor is ostensibly hiking taxes by nearly $2,000 for the average Pennsylvania family of four.

Again, Shapiro enjoys his treats, Pennsylvanians feel tricked. The tricks keep piling up, but the treats never seem to reach taxpayers. Behind every smiling photo-op and polished PR video lurks the same chilling truth: transparency has vanished, accountability is on life support, and fiscal responsibility is buried six feet under.

Unless Pennsylvanians shine a light into these dark corners, the governor’s ghostly grip on taxpayer dollars will continue to haunt the commonwealth long after the Halloween decorations come down.