State 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
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Gov. Josh Shapiro Wants to Spend More than Taxpayers Can Pay
Originally published by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The weather isn’t the only thing heating up this May. Negotiations are underway for Pennsylvania’s Fiscal Year 2025–26 state budget. These negotiations determine how…
Media Hit
Read More: Gov. Josh Shapiro Wants to Spend More than Taxpayers Can PayState Budget
Optimizing State Spending
Summary Pennsylvania faces a $3.6 billion structural budget deficit in Fiscal Year (FY) 2024–25. The Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) calculates Gov. Josh Shapiro’s FY 2025–26 budget…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Optimizing State SpendingGovernment Accountability
Independent Fiscal Office Shows Shapiro’s Budget Will Deepen the Deficit
IFO’s new Long-Term Budget Outlook Update illustrates Pennsylvania’s economic peril in light of Governor Shapiro’s 2025 budget proposal. Harrisburg, Pa., February 11, 2025 — Today, Pennsylvania’s Independent Fiscal Office…
Press Release
Read More: Independent Fiscal Office Shows Shapiro’s Budget Will Deepen the Deficit