News & Brews November 13, 2025
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Pa. budget finalized, passing $50B for first time
Yesterday, lawmakers passed and Gov. Shapiro signed a state budget—after nearly four-and-a-half-months of an impasse. The $50.09 billion General Fund budget marks the first time our state spending plan has ballooned above $50 billion. Some positive points in the high spending plan include an agreement to exit RGGI, and “deemed approved” permitting for certain types of permits. The budget also expands existing tax credit scholarships; however, it does not include any additional school choice programs. See more here.
Pa.’s Dem U.S. Reps vote against reopening gov’t
Yesterday, the U.S. House passed—and President Trump signed—legislation ending the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history. And while both of our U.S. Senators voted in favor of reopening, when it comes to our U.S. House members, the same consensus wasn’t there. Instead, while all GOP U.S. House members from Pa. supported reopening the government, every Democrat member of the delegation voted against reopening.
Unions spend big on politics, at members’ expense
Commonwealth Foundation Senior Director of Labor Policy David R. Osborne writes in Broad + Liberty, “Over the past 15 years, government unions have used membership dues to advance overtly political agendas—often behind the backs of their own members.” He highlights a report by Commonwealth Foundation that exposed that multiple unions spend “more of members’ dues on political activism and electioneering than on member representation.” The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board wrote that this finding is “notable … because many unions also have political action committees, or PACs, toward which workers may voluntarily choose, or not, to contribute. Employees who decline to contribute might assume their dues aren’t going to similar left-wing politics.” But they assume wrongly.
Chester County to investigate poll book mess
Chester County is planning for an independent investigation into the Election Day poll book mess that saw the county use books that “omitted third-party and independent voters, forcing thousands of them to vote using provisional ballots,” Spotlight PA reports. The county said “it would select an independent investigator by Nov. 17, and provide an update at the Nov. 21 board of elections meeting. It said it would aim to complete the investigation in early to mid-December and present results in December or January.”
Final penny minted yesterday in Philadelphia
And lastly, yesterday, the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia pressed the final penny, as the United States is halting production of the coin after more than 230 years. The AP reports, “Billions of pennies are still in circulation and will remain legal tender, but new ones will no longer be made.” The change is projected to save taxpayers $56 million, as the 1-cent coins now cost nearly 4 cents each to mint.