Health 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 Dependency
2026 State of Education Spending in Pennsylvania
Overview Demographic trends, most notably declining enrollments, have led to empty school buildings that are costly to operate, forcing considerations on…
Backgrounder
Read More: 2026 State of Education Spending in PennsylvaniaState Budget
A Budget You Can Afford
Summary Gov. Josh Shapiro’s 2026–27 budget proposal is unaffordable. It calls for tax hikes that will raise the cost of living, wastes money on handouts to politically selected companies, and…
Fact Sheet
Read More: A Budget You Can AffordState Budget
Corporate Welfare in Governor Shapiro’s 2026–27 Budget Proposal
Summary High taxes and burdensome regulations continue to drive outmigration. Rather than improving the state’s tax and regulatory environment, Gov. Josh Shapiro’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2026–27 budget proposal seeks to…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Corporate Welfare in Governor Shapiro’s 2026–27 Budget ProposalState 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
Read More: 2026–27 State Budget: Tackling the Structural DeficitState Budget
Corporate Welfare in Governor Shapiro’s Fiscal Year 2025–26 Budget Proposal
Summary Pennsylvania’s economy lags behind other states, hindered by high taxes and burdensome regulations. As a result, the state suffers from continued outmigration, with residents leaving for better opportunities in…
Fact Sheet
Read More: Corporate Welfare in Governor Shapiro’s Fiscal Year 2025–26 Budget ProposalState Budget
Shapiro, House Democrats Miss the Budget Deadline Again, With No Deal in Sight
Harrisburg, Pa., June 30, 2025 —Today marks the end of Pennsylvania’s fiscal year and the deadline for lawmakers to pass the FY 2025–26 state budget, with no apparent deal in…
Press Release
Read More: Shapiro, House Democrats Miss the Budget Deadline Again, With No Deal in Sight
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
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 Pay