Pa. House advances Shapiro’s $53.3B budget

Last year’s budget impasse dragged on for 135 days, stopping billions of dollars in state funding from flowing to schools, counties and nonprofits across Pennsylvania.

The Pennsylvania House passed its 2026-27 proposed budget Tuesday, with Mon Valley representatives voting along party lines.

All of the chamber’s 102 Democrats, plus five Republicans, voted in favor of the proposed budget, with 94 Republicans opposing it. Mon Valley state Reps. Dan Goughnour, D-McKeesport, and John Inglis III, D – We s t Mifflin, voted in favor of the budget bill, with Reps. Andrew Kuzma, R-Eliza beth Township, Eric Davanzo, R-Smithton, Ryan Warner, R-Perryopolis, and Bud Cook, R-West Pike Run Township, voting against the legislation.

The budget is expected to undergo several revisions in the Republican- cont rolled state Senate. Penns ylvania Senate President Pro Tempore Kim W a r d , R- Hempfield, Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R-41) and Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Scott Martin (R-13) responded to the legislation on Tuesday, expressing uneasiness about the proposed budget.

The plan has virtually no chance of making it through the Republican- led Senate and to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desk as-is. But lawmakers, who have failed to pass a budget on time in 14 of the past 22 years, are at least moving the budget process forward earlier than usual.

“We continue to have profound concerns about the level of spending in the budget proposed by Gov. Shapiro and passed by the House today,” said Republican Senate leadership. “Moving a budget plan forward is an important step in the process, but much work remains to reach a final agreement which respects taxpayers both now and in the future.

“We will continue to fight for a more fiscally responsible spending plan that better positions our Commonwealth to grow and prosper, without placing unreasonable financial burdens on Pennsylvania families and taxpayers.”

Inglis, one of the Valley representatives who voted in favor of the budget, said he was happy to see support from both Republicans and Democrats for the bill.

“I’m encouraged to see bipartisan support behind this initial budget outline, reflecting a shared understanding that we need to complete a budget that invests in Pennsylvanians without delay,” Inglis said. “As the process continues in the Senate, I remain focused on reaching a balanced, commonsense budget that keeps costs down and delivers real value for the people we serve.

“From strengthening our schools and supporting law enforcement to making our economy work better for everyday families, the state budget impacts every Pennsylvanian in some way and it’s important that lawmakers work together to get it done right.”

Warner believes the proposed budget was too costly.

“This budget spends too much – period,” Warner said. “In fact, this proposal represents an increase in spending of nearly $25 billion compared to the budget adopted a decade ago. We are spending 80% more than we did just 10 years ago, and we are doing this knowing our families and small businesses across the state are struggling more than ever to make ends meet.”

Cook said that he expected the proposed budget to change in the state Senate.

“We are early in the budget process,” Cook said. “I don’t expect the budget approved by the House, which I did not vote for, to be the final version. It will now be amended by the Pennsylvania Senate, and I look forward to reviewing the changes they make.”

Davanzo stated that they were on the right path when it came to starting the budget process, but noted that additional work is needed for the budget to work.

“The budget bill passed by the House Tuesday was a procedural step—essentially copying the governor’s February proposal,” Davanzo said. “I voted no because it increases spending by 5.4% over last year, putting us on a path toward a tax increase in the near future.

“I appreciate the House Democrats’ willingness to begin the process early, but without coordination with the Senate, this move doesn’t bring us any closer to a final budget. Pennsylvanians deserve a responsible plan—not one that sets the stage for higher taxes.”

Last year’s budget process did not end until November, leaving Pennsylvania school districts and municipalities in financial limbo.

Sen. Nick Pisciottano, D-West Mifflin applauded the House for getting the budget process started ahead of the June 30 fiscal-year-end deadline.

“The state House took decisive action yesterday to start the state budget process,” Pisciottano said. “This bipartisan vote was an early step in the process of negotiating a final budget, and I’m encouraged that the House is moving quickly to try and ensure that the Commonwealth’s budget is passed on time this year while addressing key issues like affordability, education, economic development, and more that are key to Allegheny County’s future.”

The proposed budget passed by the House mainly implements Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget that he first presented in February.

Shapiro is requesting $53.3 billion from the general fund, the state’s daily operating account. This represents a 6.4% increase over the $50.1 billion allocated in the November budget deal.

Currently, the budget is running a deficit and is balanced by using nearly all remaining surplus in the general fund. According to PennLive, Shapiro’s proposed budget would create an even larger imbalance, requiring the withdrawal of $4.6 billion from the “rainy day” reserve fund, which is more than half its current size.

Shapiro is hoping to add new revenue streams, like taxing legalized marijuana and skill games, to help make up for the additional costs. But without these new sources of revenue, the deficit might look worse.

Jordan Harris, D-Philadelphia, the Majority Appropriations Committee Chair, highlighted the importance of getting the budget process started.

“Today’s passage of the proposed state budget is an important step in moving the General Appropriations bill process forward and keeping us on track to deliver an ontime budget for the people of Pennsylvania,” Harris said. “This bill passed the House with bipartisan support, reflecting a shared commitment to moving this budget forward and getting a budget done on time.

“This legislation reflects the proposal put forward by Gov. Shapiro in February and builds on the work we have diligently done. Last month, the Appropriations Committee completed three weeks of budget hearings where we reviewed agency budgets and priorities. With that work complete, the bill now moves to the Senate as the next step in the budget process, with negotiations ongoing.”

Kuzma and Goughnour could not be reached as of press time.

The Senate is back in session Monday.