Pennsylvania treasurer won’t pay for security enhancements at governor’s private home

Pennsylvania State Treasurer Stacy Garrity on Thursday said her office will not pay for roughly $1.1 million in security enhancements and construction at Gov. Josh Shapiro’s private residence that were requisitioned by state police after the arson attack and attempt on the governor’s life at the Commonwealth’s official gubernatorial residence last year.Garrity, a Republican who is running against Shapiro for governor in this year’s elections, denied the decision was political in nature and said that while everyone deserves to be protected, the expenditures by state police to fortify Shapiro’s private home in Montgomery County were not legal and the treasury cannot issue payments.”After this comprehensive administrative and legal evaluation — including a review of thousands of pages of financial and legal records — it is clear that there is no legal authorization that allows the use of taxpayer money for upgrades or improvement to the governor’s personal home,” she said, while speaking to reporters.Unlike the construction work at official residence in Harrisburg, which has undergone massive security enhancements following last year’s unprecedented security breach, Garrity said taxpayer dollars cannot be used for work on private property without legislative approval.However, the treasurer noted that taxpayers could still be on the hook for paying for the security upgrades at Shapiro’s home in Abington Township if it is included as an appropriation in the budget or as part of a settlement agreement approved by the attorney general’s office.”We all want him to be safe, and we want his family to be safe, that is extremely important. But just because something is unprecedented doesn’t mean I can legally pay for it,” she said, noting there were opportunities to include funding for the work in previous budget-related bills.But while Garrity said she is merely following the law, Shapiro’s office said the decision was a “shameful political action.””PSP authorized these payments to fulfill a core mission of their duties — to protect the Governor and his family after the Governor’s Residence was firebombed and rendered uninhabitable for several months. PSP is exploring all options to ensure the State Police’s authority is protected and the vendors who completed this work are paid in full,” said Rosie Lapowsky, a Shapiro spokesperson. “The Treasurer should put partisanship aside, follow the law, and show some humanity for a family that has experienced real trauma, the state troopers who protect them every day, and the vendors and workers who the treasurer has now refused to pay.”State police brass have defended the decision to enhance security at the governor’s personal home following the April 2025 attack at his official residence in Harrisburg. A man scaled the fence outside the property during the overnight hours, broke inside the home, and torched a reception area with Molotov cocktails.Authorities said he intended to use the hammer to attack and potentially kill Shapiro, had he encountered him. The governor, along with family and others who attended a Seder dinner at the residence in the hours before the breach, was sleeping when the attack occurred.In February, Lt. Col. George Bivens, the acting head of Pennsylvania State Police, told WGAL it was the “right call” to move the Shapiros back to their home in Montgomery County under enhanced security while the official residence remained uninhabitable and underwent significant fortifications.That included, Bivens said, more than $1 million in work to harden security at Shapiro’s personal home. “I believe we operated fully within the procurement code in doing what we did. I believe it was the right thing to do to secure the governor’s residence,” Bivens said.The issue of taxpayer-funded improvements at Shapiro’s home has become a debated issue at the Capitol in recent months, particularly as Senate Republicans have questioned whether or not state police circumvented the procurement code.“There are black and white legal requirements that need to be met before the Treasurer can pay bills; as I’ve said for months, the work done on the Shapiros’ private, personal real estate doesn’t meet the requirements under the law,” said Sen. Jarrett Coleman, R-Lehigh, Bucks Counties. “I’m finalizing legislative language right now, and plan on introducing a legislative solution within the next two weeks.”

HARRISBURG, Pa. —

Pennsylvania State Treasurer Stacy Garrity on Thursday said her office will not pay for roughly $1.1 million in security enhancements and construction at Gov. Josh Shapiro’s private residence that were requisitioned by state police after the arson attack and attempt on the governor’s life at the Commonwealth’s official gubernatorial residence last year.

Garrity, a Republican who is running against Shapiro for governor in this year’s elections, denied the decision was political in nature and said that while everyone deserves to be protected, the expenditures by state police to fortify Shapiro’s private home in Montgomery County were not legal and the treasury cannot issue payments.

“After this comprehensive administrative and legal evaluation — including a review of thousands of pages of financial and legal records — it is clear that there is no legal authorization that allows the use of taxpayer money for upgrades or improvement to the governor’s personal home,” she said, while speaking to reporters.

Unlike the construction work at official residence in Harrisburg, which has undergone massive security enhancements following last year’s unprecedented security breach, Garrity said taxpayer dollars cannot be used for work on private property without legislative approval.

However, the treasurer noted that taxpayers could still be on the hook for paying for the security upgrades at Shapiro’s home in Abington Township if it is included as an appropriation in the budget or as part of a settlement agreement approved by the attorney general’s office.

“We all want him to be safe, and we want his family to be safe, that is extremely important. But just because something is unprecedented doesn’t mean I can legally pay for it,” she said, noting there were opportunities to include funding for the work in previous budget-related bills.

But while Garrity said she is merely following the law, Shapiro’s office said the decision was a “shameful political action.”

“PSP authorized these payments to fulfill a core mission of their duties — to protect the Governor and his family after the Governor’s Residence was firebombed and rendered uninhabitable for several months. PSP is exploring all options to ensure the State Police’s authority is protected and the vendors who completed this work are paid in full,” said Rosie Lapowsky, a Shapiro spokesperson.

“The Treasurer should put partisanship aside, follow the law, and show some humanity for a family that has experienced real trauma, the state troopers who protect them every day, and the vendors and workers who the treasurer has now refused to pay.”

State police brass have defended the decision to enhance security at the governor’s personal home following the April 2025 attack at his official residence in Harrisburg. A man scaled the fence outside the property during the overnight hours, broke inside the home, and torched a reception area with Molotov cocktails.

Authorities said he intended to use the hammer to attack and potentially kill Shapiro, had he encountered him. The governor, along with family and others who attended a Seder dinner at the residence in the hours before the breach, was sleeping when the attack occurred.

In February, Lt. Col. George Bivens, the acting head of Pennsylvania State Police, told WGAL it was the “right call” to move the Shapiros back to their home in Montgomery County under enhanced security while the official residence remained uninhabitable and underwent significant fortifications.

That included, Bivens said, more than $1 million in work to harden security at Shapiro’s personal home.

“I believe we operated fully within the procurement code in doing what we did. I believe it was the right thing to do to secure the governor’s residence,” Bivens said.

The issue of taxpayer-funded improvements at Shapiro’s home has become a debated issue at the Capitol in recent months, particularly as Senate Republicans have questioned whether or not state police circumvented the procurement code.

“There are black and white legal requirements that need to be met before the Treasurer can pay bills; as I’ve said for months, the work done on the Shapiros’ private, personal real estate doesn’t meet the requirements under the law,” said Sen. Jarrett Coleman, R-Lehigh, Bucks Counties. “I’m finalizing legislative language right now, and plan on introducing a legislative solution within the next two weeks.”