Josh Shapiro: Least Productive Pennsylvania Governor in at Least 50 Years 

Summary

• Nearly three years in office, a Commonwealth Foundation analysis finds Gov. Josh Shapiro’s first term is the least productive of any Pennsylvania gubernatorial term in at least 50 years.
• The budget for Pennsylvania is more than 130 days late and counting, the only state without a full or partial budget for 2025.^[1]
• Shapiro travels across the country discussing elections and backing the federal shutdown while the state budget impasse drags on.

Where is Governor Shapiro?

• On October 8th, the budget impasse hit the 100-day mark.^[2] Meanwhile, Shapiro used the month to travel to New Jersey and Virginia and insert himself in their gubernatorial races,^[3] alongside an appearance on the BreakFast Club. In July, he was in New York for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.^[4]
• Ahead of the budget impasse, Shapiro flew to Hollywood to appear on Real Time with Bill Maher,^[5] stating in March, “I live in the real world in Pennsylvania, where we have to balance budgets.” Yet, in July, he also made it to Nantucket for a reelection fundraiser,^[6] and, in October, to Canada for a press conference with the prime minister.^[7]

How Productive is Shapiro?

• The Commonwealth Foundation’s analysis compares the number of General Legislation Acts and Appropriations Acts enacted within three years of each of Pennsylvania’s gubernatorial terms since 1975.^[8] From the time Shapiro took office through the end of October 2025:
  • Shapiro has signed 291 bills into law, compared to an average of 496 bills enacted in the same period across the previous 12 gubernatorial terms.
  • Of the 291 bills, only 32 appropriation bills were enacted compared to the average of 123 in the previous 12 terms.
  • The remaining 259 general bills are far below the average of 373 in the previous 12 terms.
• Pennsylvania’s fiscal year ends on June 30th, requiring an annual budget for most state spending. Shapiro, in his three years in office, is 0-for-3 in signing a budget on time. While the 2024–25 budget was just eleven days late, his first for 2023–24, notably, finished six months late.^[9]
  • Pennsylvania faces serious fiscal challenges—among them protecting the Budget Stabilization Reserve Fund, commonly referred to as the Rainy Day Fund, which at last count holds enough to cover 53.6 days of state spending.^[10]
  • In October, Pennsylvania collected $3.5 billion in General Fund revenue, according to a release by the commonwealth’s Department of Revenue. While the fund’s fiscal year-to-date total is $13.5 billion, the department notes the October data “does not include a comparison against anticipated amounts because the official estimate for the 2025–26 fiscal year has not been certified.” The release adds, certification of an estimate “occurs as part of the process to finalize the budget for the fiscal year.”^[11]

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[1] Justin Sweitzer, “City & State’s 2025-26 Pennsylvania State Budget Tracker,” City & State, October 30, 2025, https://www.cityandstatepa.com/politics/2025/10/city-states-2025-26-pennsylvania-state-budget-tracker/407692/.

[2] Commonwealth Foundation, “Day 100 of State Budget Impasse,” release, October 8, 2025, https://commonwealthfoundation.org/2025/10/08/day-100-of-state-budget-impasse/.

[3] Daniel Han, “Josh Shapiro Is Dominating the Race for Governor of…New Jersey,” Politico, October 5, 2025, https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/05/josh-shapiro-governor-new-jersey-00594530; Hunter Woodwall, “Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro Heading to Virginia in Final Stretch of Spanberger’s Gubernatorial Campaign,” CBS News, October 23, 2025, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/josh-shapiro-virginia-abigail-spanberger-earle-sears-governor/.

[4] Ford Turner, “Gov. Shapiro Tells Stephen Colbert that Trump Has ‘Abandoned’ Pennsylvanians,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazett, July 25, 2025, https://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-state/2025/07/25/shapiro-trump-pennsylvania-colbert-election/stories/202507250050; Ivey DeJesus, “Shapiro Mixes It up on The Breakfast Club with Charlamagne Tha God,” PennLive, October 17, 2025, https://www.pennlive.com/politics/2025/10/shapiro-mixes-it-up-on-the-breakfast-club-with-charlamagne-tha-god.html.

[5] Nathan Benefield, “Gov. Shapiro’s Appearance on ‘Real Time with Bill Maher’ Smacked of Unreality,” Lancaster Online, March 31, 2025, https://lancasteronline.com/opinion/columnists/gov-shapiro-s-appearance-on-real-time-with-bill-maher-smacked-of-unreality-column/article_34e849cd-3a37-42a2-a6fa-7f1c20f340e8.html.

[6] Kelly Garrity (@kellygarrity3), “Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is headed to Nantucket this weekend for a fundraiser,” X, July 16, 2025, 7:07 a.m., https://x.com/kellygarrity3/status/1945440044031848646.

[7] John Paul Tasker, “Great Lakes Governors Stand with Canada Ahead of Carney’s High-Stakes Meeting with Trump,” CBC News, October 6, 2025, https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/us-governor-josh-shapiro-canada-trump-1.7652172.

[8] Pennsylvania General Assembly, Legislation Enacted, accessed November 6, 2025, https://www.palegis.us/statutes/legislation-enacted.

[9] Commonwealth Foundation, “2024–25 State Budget Analysis,” July 12, 2024, https://commonwealthfoundation.org/research/2024-25-pa-state-budget-analysis/; Commonwealth Foundation, “Takeaways from the (Mostly) Finalized 2023–24 Pennsylvania State Budget,” January 17, 2024, https://commonwealthfoundation.org/research/2023-24-pennsylvania-state-budget/.

[10] Commonwealth Foundation, “The Rainy Day Fund,” January 14, 2025, https://commonwealthfoundation.org/research/pa-rainy-day-fund/; Pennsylvania State Treasurer’s Office, “Fiscal Health Scorecard: Rainy Day Fund Balance,” accessed November 11, 2025, https://www.patreasury.gov/openbookpa/fiscal-health-rdf.php.

[11] Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, “October 2025 Collections,” release, November 3, 2025, https://www.pa.gov/agencies/revenue/newsroom/revenue-department-releases-october-2025-collections.