News & Brews May 29, 2026
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Garrity blasts Shapiro on data center flip flop
Yesterday, state Treasurer and GOP gubernatorial nominee Stacy Garrity called for a pause on data center development while blasting Gov. Shapiro for flip-flopping on the issue. “Josh Shapiro has gone from being data center development’s biggest cheerleader to doing damage control as protest after protest has broken out across all four corners of the Commonwealth.” Indeed, just last year, Shapiro lauded Amazon’s plans to build data centers “across our Commonwealth” and took credit for working with the tech giant to bring data centers to Pa.
Lawmakers waiting on court ruling on skill games
Spotlight PA reports that state “lawmakers say they’re waiting for the state’s highest court to decide whether skill games are legal before they once again attempt to regulate and tax the machines.” The issue loomed large in part of last year’s budget debate but ended up not being part of the budget agreement. Of course, “There’s no deadline for the state Supreme Court justices to deliver their decision, and it may not arrive in time to clarify skill games’ legality ahead of the June 30 budget deadline.”
Shapiro plans almost $30M on Philly traffic
Yesterday, Gov. Shapiro and Philly’s sports teams “unveiled plans for several traffic-reducing measures for the city’s stadiums,” City & State PA reports. The near $30 million spending plan includes “a second left turn lane from Front Street onto I-95 northbound” as well as “a new I-76 westbound entrance ramp; a new events operation center for traffic management and improved signage and traffic signals; and several corridor and freight network studies to inform better traffic flow and identify potential future upgrades.”
IFO: Shapiro’s budget will lead to higher taxes
The state’s Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) is warning that Gov. Shapiro’s proposed budget, which spends nearly $5 billion more than projected state revenue next year, will lead to higher taxes on Pennsylvanians. IFO Executive Director Matthew Knittel said, “In 27-28 … we won’t have enough monies to address the existing deficit. It’s still there. It’s still growing by about $1 billion a year due to the mismatch between spending and revenues…. Our opinion is that a broad-based tax increase will be necessary because it will not be possible to cut spending enough to address that full deficit.”
Philly SD budget shows need for school choice
The Inquirer reports that yesterday, the Philly School Board passed a $4.6 billion budget “that includes millions in classroom cuts. The move comes as the school system faces a $300 million deficit after federal COVID funds dried up.” (Which, of course, the district knew would happen.) As a result of the cuts, class sizes will rise. But you know what can help class sizes go down? School choice. If Gov. Shapiro opts into the federal tax credit scholarship program, Philly kids would have more options and many would likely choose non-public schools, reducing class sizes without impacting the school budget. Imagine that.