HARRISBURG, PA — Senate Republican leaders unleashed sharp criticism Tuesday over Governor Josh Shapiro’s proposed $53.2 billion state budget, accusing the administration of broken promises, fiscal recklessness, and political maneuvering tied to national ambitions.
The Pennsylvania Senate Republican Campaign Committee said the governor’s fourth budget address repeated a pattern of what it described as bad-faith negotiations and manufactured crises, particularly around education funding, mass transit, and the use of the state’s Rainy Day Fund.
“Governor Josh Shapiro went back on his word with lifeline scholarships in his first budget,” said SRCC Communications Director Michael Straw. “Then he manufactured a crisis with SEPTA funding last year in an attempt to get the budget he wanted, all while continuing his effort to raid the rainy-day funds that would put further constraints on future budgets and squeeze taxpayers.”
Straw said the proposal would drain more than $4.5 billion from the state’s reserves, calling it “an irresponsible proposal that shows little regard for taxpayers.”
The criticism came hours after Shapiro unveiled his spending plan for the 2026–27 fiscal year, pitching it as fiscally responsible and focused on education equity, affordability, public safety, and economic growth. The proposal represents a roughly 5.4 percent increase in spending over the current year and relies heavily on reserve funds to close projected revenue gaps without broad-based tax increases.
Senate Republicans also challenged the governor’s claims on energy affordability, pointing to last year’s budget negotiations in which the GOP-controlled Senate successfully blocked Pennsylvania’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI.
“Governor Shapiro gallivanted around New Jersey and Virginia, both states that are either in RGGI or are re-entering the energy compact and seeing electricity rates increase,” Straw said. “He claims that he’s lowered energy costs, but he’s fought against real reforms to reduce utility bills for families, seniors, and small businesses.”
Straw added that Shapiro would rejoin RGGI “if given the chance,” arguing that only a Republican-led Senate has prevented higher electricity rates for millions of Pennsylvanians.
Under the governor’s proposal, new revenue is projected to come from legalizing recreational marijuana and imposing a 52 percent tax on so-called skill games, which the administration estimates could generate more than $2 billion annually. Republicans questioned the reliability of those projections and warned against building future budgets on what they called speculative revenue streams.
Shapiro’s plan also includes increased funding for underfunded school districts, a renewed push to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour by January 1, 2027, expanded state police training, and the creation of a new $100 million Federal Response Fund to protect state programs from potential federal funding disruptions.
Budget hearings in the House and Senate are expected to begin later this month, setting the stage for weeks of debate as lawmakers work toward a final agreement before the July 1 start of the new fiscal year.
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