The Highs and Lows of the New Pennsylvania Budget

Originally published by RealClearPennsylvania.

After a four-month impasse, Pennsylvania lawmakers finally delivered the 2025–26 state budget.

The newly minted spending plan offers some meaningful policy victories, such as affordable energy, regulatory reform, and educational choice.

This monthslong debacle all started with Gov. Josh Shapiro. The governor launched the commonwealth into a 135-day-long impasse when he proposed a budget with almost $7 billion in deficit spending. His proposal vastly expanded the size and scope of the state government, unlawfully dipped into state reserves, and threatened Pennsylvanians with a statewide tax hike.

Read more at RealClearPennsylvania.