Now that the 2025 Pennsylvania budget, which was due by June 30, is nearly two months late, it’s become a hot political potato.
And who gets burned—or blamed–might sway voters in the 2026 midterms.
While state House Democrats spurned a Senate Republican bill that would have funded SEPTA, they are now pointing fingers at Republicans in hopes of ousting vulnerable DelVal representatives and senators, according to the Inquirer.
Enter the Commonwealth Foundation, a free-market think tank.
In a new ad that began airing on television and online Sunday, Commonwealth lays the blame squarely on Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro for not working with the legislature to get the budget passed. This is the third late state budget under Shapiro, who was elected in 2022.
As well as on the internet, the ad will air in the state’s three biggest television markets: Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Harrisburg. It will appear on “This Week in Pennsylvania” with Dennis Owens, in various markets, and “Inside Story” on ABC6 in Philadelphia. It will also be shown on ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos,” “Face the Nation” with Margaret Brennan on CBS, and “State of the Union” with Jake Tapper on CNN.
They are also looking into other national venues in addition to what they’ve already booked, said Erik Telford, Commonwealth vice president. He declined to quantify how much Commonwealth is spending on these ads.
“While we don’t disclose the size of our ad buys, I can say that Commonwealth Foundation will continue to invest the resources necessary to ensure Pennsylvanians are protected from unaffordable tax hikes and Governor Shapiro’s appalling partisan political games that are using kids and families as pawns,” Telford said.
“As students return to school, Gov. Josh Shapiro has forced Pennsylvania into political gridlock, leaving the state without a budget for eight consecutive weeks. On June 30th, Shapiro insisted that a budget deal was coming ‘very, very soon’—a claim that is now more than 50 days old,” said Telford.
“Worse yet, Shapiro and Pennsylvania House Democrats have blocked a plan to fund schools and essential services, intentionally prolonging the tense impasse.”
“The Senate passed transit plan failed to offer sufficient new transit money and shifted existing funding away from safety projects like track repair, train and bus upgrades, and improving road crossing infrastructure, to fund daily transit operations and repairs to rural roads,” said Nicole Reigelman, a spokeswoman for House Speaker Joanna McClinton (D-Philadelphia).
Many Philadelphia students take SEPTA to and from school.
Commonwealth claims that SEPTA has manufactured the crisis by unnecessarily beginning service cuts.
“This is not a true emergency; it is a manufactured crisis, fueled and exploited by Gov. Josh Shapiro and Pennsylvania House Democrats as leverage in a protracted budget impasse of their own making,” the think tank said in a press release.
“Meanwhile, SEPTA sits on nearly $400 million in reserves and a line of credit it refuses to tap—a clear sign that service disruptions are an act of political theater, not necessity. If Shapiro and House Democrats truly cared about transit riders, they would demand years-overdue structural reforms to end SEPTA’s chronic mismanagement and financial bleeding.”
But SEPTA officials disagree.
“SEPTA has been fully transparent about its financial challenges, and we have been warning about this fiscal cliff for nearly three years,” said John Golden, a SEPTA spokesman. “Our budgets are available to the public, published online, and subject to public hearings and review by an independent examiner.
“SEPTA’s role in the negotiations over transit funding is to highlight the need for this critical investment, as well as the cost of inaction. We have stated publicly, repeatedly, that without a solution to this fiscal crisis, SEPTA would have no choice but to enact massive service cuts and fare increases to balance its budget. With 20 percent across-the-board service cuts set to begin on Sunday, and a series of additional steps to follow soon thereafter, we urge all parties to continue working toward a funding resolution,” Golden said.
Kevin Kane, director of legislative strategy for Commonwealth, said despite SEPTA’s dire situation, the House rejected the Senate’s proposal.
“All the while, Gov. Shapiro and House Democrats continue to play politics rather than govern. It’s equal parts disturbing and annoying that the mass transit hype crew is not blaming Shapiro for his failure to lead on transit funding for the past three years,” Kane said.
“As the governor continues his holiday, jetting out-of-state for fundraisers and late-night talk shows, Pennsylvania families wait anxiously for a responsible state budget that avoids tax hikes on working families and provides educational choice for students who need it most,” said Telford.
“Shapiro already betrayed vulnerable kids in failing schools by vetoing his campaign promise of Lifeline Scholarships. Now he’s hurting families all across the state by forcing a protracted budget impasse over his demand for deficit spending that will lead to tax hikes,” Telford said. “If Shapiro and House Democrats truly cared for Pennsylvania families, they would stop the partisanship and do their jobs.”
Shapiro could not be reached for comment on Friday.