News & Brews March 21, 2025
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Ignore ‘fearmongering’ on Ed Department’s closure
Yesterday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order “to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the States and local communities.” Unions and bureaucrats are, of course, apoplectic—far more panicked, in fact, than they’ve been in decades over plummeting test scores and children trapped in crummy schools. But as the Mercatus Center’s Veronique de Rugy writes, “The department traditionally funds only 8 percent to 10 percent of K-12 education, and new Secretary of Education Linda McMahon seems rightly concerned that not enough of that money goes toward actual instruction.” Indeed, “If an investment yields stagnant or negative returns despite increased funding, the rational thing to do is back off.”
Pa. Dems ‘unite in silence’ on missing Shapiro emails
It looks like the mainstream media aren’t the only ones staying silent on the recent revelation that the Shapiro administration deleted emails related to the sexual harassment case involving Shapiro’s former secretary of legislative affairs, Mike Vereb. Broad + Liberty investigative reporter Todd Shepherd, who broke the story, sent requests for comment to 20 of the 21 Democrat Pa. state senators. None replied. And only one Democrat state senator has publicly criticized Shapiro over the scandal. (Makes you wonder if the rest don’t care about the scandal, or if they are part of the cover up.)
Dems facing ‘their own tea party revolt’
A piece in POLITICO by Split Ticket co-founder Lakshya Jain observes the abysmal state of the Democrat party these days, with congressional Democrats’ approval now underwater with their own voters. “The closest partisan parallel to the level of anger currently gripping Democratic voters would be roughly a decade ago, when Republican political unknown Dave Brat toppled House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in a shocking 2014 primary upset,” Jain writes. “Historic precedent suggests it would be extremely unusual for this kind of dissatisfaction to persist without any major changes in the party….Instead, these numbers open the door to a potentially bruising string of primaries in both the House and Senate.”
Perry could face same challenger in 2026
ABC27 reports that former TV anchor Janelle Stelson, who lost a challenge to GOP U.S. Rep. Scott Perry last year, is considering challenging him again in 2026. Democrats have long targeted Perry, unsuccessfully, and he remains on their target list. “Stelson faced criticism during the campaign for not living in the 10th Congressional District,” the story notes. And according to Pa. voting records, she is still registered to vote outside the district.
Pa. House hearing today on stopping new energy taxes
This morning at 10:00 a.m., the Pa. House Republican Policy Committee will hold a public hearing in Waterford (Erie County) on stopping new energy taxes. Scheduled testifiers include Dan Coffee, executive vice president of Quantum EP; David Clark, president of the Pennsylvania Grade Crude Oil Coalition; Brian Sprague, former small business owner; and Kenny Stein, vice president of policy at the Institute for Energy Research. Click here for the live stream.