Pennsylvania’s complex state budget has enabled policymakers to keep taxpayers in the dark when it comes to state spending. Year after year, some elected officials use budget gimmicks to both make the budget appear balanced and to secure their own agendas. Pennsylvanians deserve reforms that bring true transparency to the budgeting process. We must limit spending growth to a sustainable rate, ensuring the state government—like hardworking taxpayers—live within its means.

State Budget

Shapiro’s “Affordability” Agenda Has a $7 Billion Problem

  • Nathan Benefield
  • March 26, 2026

Originally published in The Mercury. Gov. Josh Shapiro wants Pennsylvanians to believe that he is delivering affordability. But his unaffordable budget tells a different story. The…

Media Hit

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State Budget

Deficit Watch: March 2026

  • March 18, 2026

Background Pennsylvania continues to face serious fiscal challenges. The enacted 2025–26 General Fund budget created a $4.6 billion structural deficit. Gov. Josh…

Deficit Watch

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State Budget

Childcare Affordability Continues To Plague Pennsylvanians

  • March 11, 2026

Harrisburg, Pa., March 11, 2026 — Pennsylvania is one of the most overregulated states for childcare. And despite more than $50 million in additional state funding since 2023, too many families continue to find childcare…

Press Release

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Regulation

Fixing the Childcare Affordability Crisis in Pennsylvania

  • Corey V. Kendig, Elizabeth Stelle
  • March 10, 2026

Key Points Statewide numbers for 2024 show the average annual cost of center-based infant care in Pennsylvania at $14,910, or 11.5 percent of the median married…

Backgrounder

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Education

[MEDIA] Andrew Lewis on ‘Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words’

  • Andrew Lewis
  • March 5, 2026

Pennsylvania’s Policy Battles: Energy Independence, School Choice, and America 250 Andrew Lewis, President & CEO of the Commonwealth Foundation, joins “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words,” to discuss why…

Media Hit

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Government Accountability

Shapiro’s Taxpayer-Funded Vanity Tour Rages On

  • March 2, 2026

Recent reporting exposed the Shapiro administration’s reliance on artificial intelligence to write its newly released Housing Action Plan. And it’s no wonder Shapiro has outsourced his…

Blog

Read More: Shapiro’s Taxpayer-Funded Vanity Tour Rages On

State Budget

Yes, Gov. Shapiro’s Budget Raises Taxes

  • Nathan Benefield
  • February 12, 2026

Originally published by PennLive. In his campaign-style budget address, Gov. Josh Shapiro claimed his budget neither enacts any new taxes nor requires future tax…

Media Hit

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State Budget

Has Governor Shapiro Actually Cut Taxes?

  • February 12, 2026

Gov. Josh Shapiro desperately wants Pennsylvanians to believe he isn’t a run-of-the-mill tax-and-spend Democrat. “The Governor has cut taxes seven times,” claims one of his latest…

Blog

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State Budget

Pennsylvania is Shrinking. We Need More Workers

  • Jacob Custer, Nathan Benefield
  • February 4, 2026

Originally published by The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. New migration reports show that last year more people moved out of Pennsylvania than moved in, marking the commonwealth’s…

Media Hit

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Education

Governor Shapiro Presents Unaffordable State Budget

  • February 3, 2026

Gov. Josh Shapiro returns to Pennsylvania to pitch spending plan families cannot afford.   Harrisburg, Pa., February 3, 2026 — In a campaign-style speech that doesn’t address the needs of Pennsylvanians, Gov. Josh Shapiro delivered his 2026 state budget address, proposing a $3.2  billion spending…

Press Release

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State Budget

2026–27 State Budget: Tackling the Structural Deficit

  • February 2, 2026

Summary Pennsylvania’s structural deficit has reached $4.8 billion due to excessive spending. Under Gov. Josh Shapiro and his predecessor, Tom Wolf, state spending has consistently grown at a faster pace…

Fact Sheet

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State Budget

National Rankings Reveal Pennsylvania’s Subpar Economy 

  • January 28, 2026

A video companion of this press release for broadcast use is available here. Harrisburg, Pa., January 28, 2026 — Recent comments about Pennsylvania have left pundits asking, “Is the commonwealth’s economy ‘mediocre’?”  According…

Press Release

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State Budget

Pennsylvania’s Economy is Struggling to Compete Nationally

  • January 28, 2026

Overview Over the past few months, Gov. Josh Shapiro and his administration have routinely touted Pennsylvania’s supposed economic success, portraying the commonwealth’s economy as “…

Fact Sheet

Read More: Pennsylvania’s Economy is Struggling to Compete Nationally

State Budget

Shapiro Talks Affordability, but Pennsylvanians Pay the Price

  • Nathan Benefield
  • January 23, 2026

Originally published by The Pottstown-Mercury. Gov. Josh Shapiro has made a habit of criticizing President Donald Trump over rising prices and “affordability.” Yet under Shapiro’s leadership,…

Media Hit

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State Budget

It’s the Spending, Stupid

  • Kevin Kane
  • January 22, 2026

Originally published by Delco Times. Every year, Pennsylvanians hear the same warning from lawmakers in Harrisburg: “The state doesn’t have enough money.” And every year, they’re…

Media Hit

Read More: It’s the Spending, Stupid

Education

What Pennsylvania Lawmakers Must Prioritize in 2026

  • Megan Martin, Stephen Bloom
  • January 5, 2026

Originally published by RealClearPennsylvania. Pennsylvania stands at a pivotal moment. Families are stretched thin by higher costs, and employers are weighing whether to invest here or elsewhere. We can’t…

Commentary

Read More: What Pennsylvania Lawmakers Must Prioritize in 2026

Education

The Top Five Policy Victories of 2025—and a Look Ahead to 2026

  • December 31, 2025

Pennsylvania saw no shortage of controversies and political battles in 2025, including a four-month-long budget impasse. But this year also saw lawmakers enact several pro-growth policies—from expanding educational choice to…

Blog

Read More: The Top Five Policy Victories of 2025—and a Look Ahead to 2026