News & Brews February 5, 2026
Get News & Brews in your inbox each day: Subscribe here!
Shapiro proposes more cyber charter cuts
PennLive reports that for the third year, Gov. Josh Shapiro has proposed cutting millions of dollars from cyber charter schools. In his budget address, “Shapiro called for redirecting [i.e. cutting] $250 million from cyber charter schools to traditional school districts. This represents a $75 million increase from last year’s approved budget and, if passed, would represent the third consecutive budget with cuts for cyber schools.” The news comes even as cyber charter schools have begun layoffs “after historic state budget cuts.” For a governor who once claimed “every child of God” deserves a chance at a good education, Gov. Shapiro doesn’t act like he believes his own words.
Analysis of Shapiro’s massive spending plan
Pennsylvania policy expert Nate Benefield, Chief Policy Officer of the Commonwealth Foundation, has issued his annual analysis of the governor’s budget proposal. And the lede says it all: “Gov. Josh Shapiro’s unaffordable budget worsens Pennsylvania’s structural deficit.” Beyond this, Nate notes Shapiro’s plan would increase energy costs, ignores welfare costs, and does nothing to increase educational opportunity for Pennsylvania’s students.
Pa.’s energy lesson for the nation
Oliver Lee Bateman writes in RealClear Pennsylvania that Pa.’s recent RGGI battle “illuminates what’s at stake nationally” when it comes to energy. When the threat of RGGI loomed, “energy projects fled the state.” Meanwhile, “The opposition to RGGI produced an alliance that would have seemed improbable a decade earlier: trade unions and business groups on the same side.” Now, with RGGI’s demise in Pa., “the calculus has shifted…. What happened in Pennsylvania holds lessons for a country grappling with the same [energy] tensions.”
Dems, GOP ‘brace for dramatic campaign fundraising change’
POLITICO reports that both Democrats and Republicans are readying for a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that could potentially “overhaul political fundraising.” The case deals with whether federal political party campaign committees can coordinate directly with congressional candidates. Currently, coordination is limited. “The rules, if changed, would eliminate the need for ‘independent expenditure’ operations for party committees — separate and firewalled arms of the committee that have spent a large chunk of campaign committees’ money since 2006, primarily on running TV advertising in the nation’s most competitive races.” Because candidates get lower rates on TV ads than these committees, a rule change could potentially dramatically increase committees’ purchasing power.
Dem campaign manager charged with forging nomination signatures
A Democrat campaign manager who ran Lehigh Valley Controller Mark Pinsley’s failed primary campaign for auditor general in 2024 has been charged with “filing fraudulent nominating petitions” for Pinsley, the Inquirer reports. “Petitions for Pinsley’s campaign included names from various people who said they had not signed them.” For his part, “Pinsley told The Inquirer on Wednesday evening his campaign ‘reviewed what was brought to our attention but did not have enough verified information to reach independent conclusions.’” Malcolm Kenyatta, who defeated Pinsley in that Democrat primary, said, “The charges brought today are a first step in the legal process but accountability must not end here: the buck always stops with the candidate.” Pinsley is now running for the Democrat nomination to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie.