News & Brews October 9, 2025
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Activity—and chaos—on the Pa. budget
Yesterday saw some activity, as well as finger pointing and chaos, on the still-unfinished state budget. House Democrats (joined by three Republicans) passed a $50.25 billion spending plan, which would still spend $5.6 billion more than revenues. In response, Sen. Majority Leader Joe Pittman said, “[T]he latest act by the House has taken steps backwards, not forwards. With the state budget being due 100 days ago, it is long past time for Democrats to stop their games and to complete a responsible budget that doesn’t seek to spend billions more than we can afford by using one-time dollars.” Gov. Josh Shapiro, meanwhile, took to the podium to blast Senate Republicans for not agreeing to spend more than taxpayers can afford.
Interview with Stacy Garrity
Broad + Liberty caught up with state Treasurer Stacy Garrity to tackle a broad range of issues, including “the treasury, the budget stalemate, and the issues involved in her run for governor in 2026.” On the latter, she said that Gov. Shapiro “cares more about Pennsylvania Avenue than Pennsylvania, and his priority is just simply Josh Shapiro. Throughout my career, I have always fought for what’s right, and that’s exactly what I’ll do as Pennsylvania’s next governor.”
DNC briefing top Dems on election post-mortem
POLITICO reports that the Democratic National Committee has begun briefing top Democrats on portions of its 2024 post-mortem. And even POLITICO isn’t buying some of it. “DNC officials argued Democrats didn’t spend early or consistently enough to engage and persuade voters” and that the party “fail[ed] to respond to voters’ top issues.” Particularly on the supposedly late spending, however, POLITICO notes that “it’s not clear how some of these conclusions square with reality.”
Beaver Shell plant ‘falling short on promises’
The Beaver County Shell plant has been a topic of conversation in Pennsylvania—and the recipient of lots of taxpayer-funded corporate welfare—for well over a decade. Now, the Tribune Review reports that per a new analysis, the plant “has fallen far short of expectations.” For example, it “was once projected to bring in $1.5 billion a year, but its cost has exceeded more than double its original $6 billion estimate.” Further, “the $14 billion project has yet to generate even $1 billion in profit for the region.”
A cautionary marijuana tale
As Gov. Shapiro and some lawmakers continue to push to legalize adult-use recreational marijuana, new statistics offer a cautionary tale. The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board explains: “A new study finds that more than 40% of drivers who died in car accidents in one U.S. county over the last six years had elevated levels of [marijuana] in their blood…. Auto fatalities have increased over the last decade even as cars have become safer and alcohol consumption has fallen. Could marijuana be contributing to more reckless driving? It’s a fair question. Nearly a quarter of 18- to 25-year-olds used marijuana in the last month, according to a federal survey. As did 15% of those 26 or older.” What’s more, “Today’s marijuana is five times more potent than the weed that Boomers smoked when they were younger, so it takes less to become impaired.”