Education
Deficit Watch: July 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
Read More: Deficit Watch: July 2026Health Care
Welfare Reform That Works: Reducing Waste, Fraud, and Dependency
Summary Pennsylvania’s labor force is expanding, Medicaid enrollment is returning to pre-pandemic levels, and fewer Pennsylvanians depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Administering Medicaid work requirements without abusing…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Welfare Reform That Works: Reducing Waste, Fraud, and DependencyState Budget
7 Ways to Balance the PA Budget Without Raising Taxes
Gov. Josh Shapiro’s latest spending plan would increase spending by $3.2 billion, drain the Rainy Day Fund, and push the state’s structural…
Blog
Read More: 7 Ways to Balance the PA Budget Without Raising TaxesState Budget
Balancing the 2026 State Budget
Controlling and Prioritizing Spending Can Help Balance the Budget Summary Gov. Josh Shapiro’s 2026–27 budget proposal spends $3.2 billion more than last year and drains the Rainy-Day Fund, increasing the…
Fact Sheet
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Don’t Be Fooled by Shapiro—Six Times the Governor Pranked Pennsylvanians
April Fools’ Day is an annual reminder that you can’t believe everything you see or hear. Pranksters unleash a bevy of practical jokes, from Taco Bell claiming it bought…
Blog
Read More: Don’t Be Fooled by Shapiro—Six Times the Governor Pranked PennsylvaniansState Budget
2026–27 State Budget: Tackling the Structural Deficit
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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Raining on Shapiro’s Rainy Day Fund Raid
Here’s the Commonwealth Foundation’s weekly news roundup of policy issues debated in Harrisburg and across Pennsylvania. Can the ‘Rainy Day Fund’ Balance the Budget? Pennsylvania’s emergency savings account, contrary to…
Blog
Read More: Raining on Shapiro’s Rainy Day Fund RaidState Budget
The Shapiro Stalemate Enters Year Three
Gov. Josh Shapiro wants Pennsylvanians to believe that he wasn’t responsible for this year’s budget impasse—just like he wasn’t for last year’s stalemate or the year before that. For three…
Blog
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Shapiro’s Spending Spree vs. Fiscal Reality
Welcome to Common Sense Weekly! This is the Commonwealth Foundation’s weekly news roundup of policy issues debated in Harrisburg and across Pennsylvania.Have you seen our recent social media videos?…
Blog
Read More: Shapiro’s Spending Spree vs. Fiscal Reality