News & Brews March 5, 2025
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These Pa. guests were at Trump’s speech last night
As President Trump delivered his address to a joint session of Congress last evening, several White House-invited guests from Pennsylvania were in attendance. The family of Corey Comperatore, the firefighter killed in the assassination attempt against Trump, attended as guests of First Lady Melania Trump. The Post-Gazette reports that Trump’s tribute to Comperatore’s family “received strong applause from both sides of the aisle — perhaps the only time that occurred during the nearly two-hour speech.” Marc Fogel, the Pa. teacher recently released after more than three years of Russian imprisonment, was also there as the First Lady’s guest, along with his 95-year-old mother, Malphine. Fogel “received a standing ovation from Republicans and the upper gallery. But only a handful of Democratic lawmakers — including Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Aspinwall — stood while applauding for Mr. Fogel.” This was just one example of many Democrats’ juvenile behavior last night, refusing to celebrate an American’s homecoming.
Exposed by RTK law, Dem state rep. now targets RTK law
This is rich. In 2023, Right-to-Know requests uncovered that Democrat state Rep. Pat Harkins (Erie County) had billed taxpayers more than $154,000 for “mileage reimbursements” since 2018. This included tens of thousands of dollars for non-session mileage—essentially for driving across his 7-mile-by-3-mile district. At that time, Harkins, aware that he’d been found out, admitted the mileage was “too high” and said he would curb the reimbursements. Fast forward to this week, and Harkins announced he will introduce legislation that would limit citizens’ access to public records. Kind of makes you wonder if there’s something else he’s hiding?
Perception aside, Shapiro is just another Democrat
Commentators on both sides have fallen into the trap of thinking that Gov. Josh Shapiro is a “different democrat.” But as Nathan Benefield of the Commonwealth Foundation explains in an op-ed, Shapiro’s recent budget address shows he “is far from different. In what might be the first campaign speech of the 2028 presidential campaign, the governor offered the same typical liberal policies and rhetoric we’ve heard before.” From “an extreme dose of deficit spending” to “new energy taxes and green subsidies that would drive up electric bills and threaten blackouts.” to “handouts … demanded by teacher union executives,” Shapiro’s record does not align with his “concocted brand.”
Pa. state senators talk construction policy
If you need a quick break from all the Pennsylvania appropriations hearings these past few weeks, the Keystone Contractors Association sat down with the co-chairs of the Pa. Senate Labor Committee for an episode of the Building PA Podcast. GOP Sen. Devlin Robinson (Allegheny County) and Democrat Sen. John Kane (Chester and Delaware counties) talk about their committee and what issues they might be addressing that interest the construction industry. Plus a little teaser, Sen Robinson concludes the episode by talking about someone who many feel is the greatest boxer to come from Pennsylvania. Listen here (Spotify), here (Apple), or here (Buzzsprout).
Pa. budget hearings continue today
Today, the Pa. House Appropriations Committee will hold a budget hearing with the Department of Insurance and PENNIE at 10:00 a.m. this morning (watch here) and with the Pennsylvania Treasury at 1:00 p.m. (watch here). The Senate Appropriations Committee, meanwhile, will hold a two-part hearing with the Department of Human Services. Part One will begin at 9:30 a.m. (watch here), and Part Two will begin at 1:00 p.m. (watch here). See the full schedule here.