As expected, the deadline for the 2025-26 Pennsylvania budget has been missed.
Negotiations continue behind closed doors between state lawmakers and Governor Josh Shapiro. Without a new budget, the state loses authority to make many payments starting Tuesday, though schools and counties likely won’t feel impacts until August. Key sticking points include rising Medicaid costs and a GOP push to tax unregulated skill games, while Shapiro is pushing for more school and transit funding. The governor proposed a 51-point-five-billion-dollar budget, a three-point-eight-billion-dollar increase in spending.
While Shapiro says an agreement could be reached very soon, Pennsylvania Senate Republican Leadership say they will continue to focus on their important points. Senate Republican Leader Joe Pittman said that the state is facing a multi-billion dollar structural deficit that needs to be addressed.
He along with Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward and Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Scott Martin said in a joint statement that they will continue to work with all parties to reach a final agreement that respects taxpayers and allows the commonwealth to grow.
