News & Brews March 12, 2025
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Are Shapiro’s revenue projections full of s**t?
Gov. Josh Shapiro’s unrealistically high revenue projections are so far off from those of the non-partisan Independent Fiscal Office (IFO, that PennLive is questioning if the governor’s predictions are “full of a certain substance that starts with the letter ‘s.’” GOP Senate Appropriations Chair Scott Martin (Lancaster and Berks counties) said, “This scale of difference, we’ve never seen before in terms of what the revenue projections will be.” But instead of focusing on basic math, the Shapiro administration is attacking the IFO. In a recent budget hearing, Shapiro’s budget secretary said, “I’ll be quite frank in that I have some concerns about the credibility of the IFO….” after the office ran budget numbers several years out, while the state budget is done only one year at a time. Of course, responsible budgeting requires looking ahead, something Democrats apparently have no interest in doing while they spend without restraint.
Shapiro’s odd response when asked about missing emails
Yesterday at a news conference, Gov. Shapiro was asked about the Broad + Liberty story exposing that his administration may have deleted emails related to the sexual harassment case against former Secretary of Legislative Affairs Mike Vereb. His response was odd to say the least. While visibly irritated at the question, Shapiro suggested the reporter shouldn’t be asking it because he works at a news outlet other than Broad + Liberty. Not even kidding. Specifically, Shapiro responded, “Last I checked you wrote for the Post-Gazette, so it’s kind of strange you’d be citing some other news source.” First, it’s quite common for reporters to cite other news sources, particularly when giving credit for breaking a story. Second, it sure sounds like this story hit a nerve and Shapiro has something to hide.
Oz to testify before Senate committee on Friday
Dr. Mehmet Oz, who ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania in 2022 against now-Sen. John Fetterman, is scheduled to testify on Friday before a Senate committee as President Trump’s nominee to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Looking ahead to the confirmation vote, Fetterman posted, “If Dr. Oz is about protecting and preserving Medicare and Medicaid, I’m voting for the dude.”
School choice a top issue for governors, but not in Pa.
The 74 analyzed the 2025 State of the State addresses (or, as we call it in Pa. our budget address) “from 41 governors to identify states’ education agendas for the coming year.” The analysis found the governors “outlined a range of strategies to improve their schools, from increasing K-12 funding and expanding educational choice to investing in early childhood programs and higher education. Yet few focused directly on arguably the most pressing issue: declining student achievement.” How did Gov. Shapiro’s speech compare? Well, while 15 governors included school choice in their speeches, Shapiro was not one of them.
McCormick introduces bipartisan bill to target fentanyl trafficking
Republican U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick has introduced legislation—with cosponsors including Democrat U.S. Sen. John Fetterman—”to establish a joint task force aimed at curbing fentanyl distribution into the United States,” the Inquirer reports. The legislation argues “that no central entity exists where agencies can share information and coordinate efforts to combat opioid distribution.” And the bill “would designate a centralized group made up of representatives from a dozen government agencies to jointly ‘disrupt trafficking networks, enforce sanctions,’ and address China’s role in the opioid crisis.”