The federal shutdown ultimately lasted for 43 days, while the state budget impasse stretched past four months.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lawmakers and Gov. Josh Shapiro ultimately reached agreement on a $50.1 billion budget package<\/a> that sent more money to public school districts, created a new tax credit for working-class Pennsylvanians and reformed how cyber charter schools in the state are funded. As part of the negotiated budget, Shapiro agreed to withdraw the commonwealth from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative \u2013 a regional pact aimed at limiting carbon emissions from the power sector that drew criticism from Republican lawmakers and labor unions.\u00a0<\/p>\n We had two different approaches and two different ways of governing.<\/p>\n \u2013\u00a0Senate President Kim Ward<\/p>\n We had two different approaches and two different ways of governing.<\/p>\n Shapiro framed the agreement as a bipartisan win for all parties involved. \u201cI said at the outset of this process \u2026 to pass a budget, everyone was going to have to give a little and understand the perspectives of others a little bit better,\u201d he said during the November press conference where he signed the budget into law. \u201cWe did that here and, as a result of our collective work, the good people of Pennsylvania are better off.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a balanced budget that cuts taxes, that makes critical investments, that protects 100% of Pennsylvania\u2019s Rainy Day Fund \u2013 and still leaves us with $8 billion in reserves.\u201d<\/p>\n State Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward echoed Shapiro\u2019s sentiments on having to compromise given the political dynamics in the General Assembly.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis budget is a direct result of a divided government. We had two different approaches and two different ways of governing. So there is something \u2026 called compromise. We on the Republican side had to compromise on spending much more than we would have preferred,\u201d she said in remarks on the Senate floor in November. \u201cWe were able to, working with our colleagues across the aisle, get some great policy that will put Pennsylvania in the driver\u2019s seat when it comes to economic growth.\u201d<\/p>\n Transportation Situation<\/p>\n A key point of disagreement in this year\u2019s state budget negotiations was how to balance funding for mass transit with other transportation infrastructure needs. Adding fuel to an already combustible issue was the fact that the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, more commonly known as SEPTA, has been grappling with a $213 million budget shortfall that had the system \u2013 and the riders in the greater Philadelphia area that it serves \u2013 bracing for fare increases and severe service cuts.<\/a><\/p>\n For months, SEPTA General Manager Scott Sauer requested that state legislators find a long-term funding solution for the agency, warning that service cuts were looming on the horizon.<\/a><\/p>\n In his 2025-26 executive budget proposal, Shapiro proposed a 1.75% increase in funding for transit systems statewide, bringing in nearly $300 million, including an additional $161 million for SEPTA. Throughout state budget negotiations, Senate Republicans pushed for any mass transit funding solution to also include funding for road and bridge repairs.\u00a0<\/p>\n Without a state budget (and an accompanying funding solution) in place, SEPTA began implementing service cuts in late August. The agency ultimately received a short-term <\/a>reprieve when the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation approved SEPTA’s request to use up to $394 million in capital assistance funds to fund daily operations over the next two years.<\/p>\n We\u2019re going to continue to work on transit and other priorities that aren\u2019t in this budget.<\/p>\n \u2013 Gov. Josh Shapiro<\/p>\n We\u2019re going to continue to work on transit and other priorities that aren\u2019t in this budget.<\/p>\n The Shapiro administration, which approved the funds, said the agreement is contingent on no major capital projects being delayed.<\/p>\n Shapiro said in November that while transit funding wasn\u2019t addressed in this year\u2019s state budget, it remains a priority for both his administration and Democratic state lawmakers.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to continue to work on transit and other priorities that aren\u2019t in this budget. I know we all had to accept compromise. Transit remains a critically important priority for me and each and every member who’s standing up here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n SEPTA\u2019s woes have caught the eye of federal officials, too. Shapiro and federal officials have gone back and forth over a series of fires that took place on the agency\u2019s fleet of Silverliner IV railcars, with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean P. Duffy and the National Transportation Safety Board issuing a warning to SEPTA in October to take immediate action to address fire risks and its aging fleet of regional rail cars.\u00a0<\/p>\n A month later, Shapiro directed $219.9 million in additional capital funding<\/a> to SEPTA to address the fleet safety issues and restore full Regional Rail service. But even with the boost in funds, SEPTA ran into a supply chain issue<\/a> before the end of the year, preventing the agency from meeting the latest federally mandated deadline to repair its aging fleet. The agency now awaits a crucial component of the repair work to get back on track.\u00a0<\/p>\n Political Violence Persists\u00a0<\/p>\n In 2024, Pennsylvania was home to one of the most shocking instances of political violence in recent memory when a gunman attempted to kill then-candidate Donald Trump<\/a> during a campaign rally in Butler. Trump survived after a bullet grazed his ear; another rallygoer, firefighter Corey Comperatore, was killed. The incident, unfortunately, served as a prelude to more political violence that would occur in 2025 \u2013 in Pennsylvania and beyond.<\/p>\n Top of mind for most Americans in 2025 is the assassination of conservative political activist and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk<\/a>, who was murdered during an event at Utah Valley University. Kirk\u2019s murder sent shockwaves through the nation and once again cast a spotlight on political violence in the United States.\u00a0<\/p>\n In the year following the Butler assassination attempt against Trump, Pennsylvania has seen additional cases of political violence. Chief among them was an arson attack at the Pennsylvania Governor\u2019s Residence<\/a> on April 13, which saw the arsonist, Cody A. Balmer, scale a fence, break into the residence with a hammer and set fire to the building using homemade Molotov cocktails.\u00a0<\/p>\n Balmer fled the scene and later turned himself in, telling police that he would have beaten Shapiro with his hammer if he had encountered the governor inside the residence. Balmer pleaded guilty in October to charges of arson, terrorism and attempted murder \u2013 a result that the governor said is a \u201cjust outcome.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hard for me to stand before you today and utter the words \u2018attempted murder\u2019 when it\u2019s your own life \u2013 to know that someone tried to kill me,\u201d Shapiro said following Balmer\u2019s plea. \u201cIt\u2019s especially hard to know that he tried to burn our family to death while we slept.\u201d<\/p>\n Everyone must be clear: all forms of political violence are wrong. That shouldn\u2019t be hard to do.<\/p>\n \u2013 U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio<\/p>\n Everyone must be clear: all forms of political violence are wrong. That shouldn\u2019t be hard to do.<\/p>\n In 2025, political violence in Pennsylvania wasn\u2019t confined to either party.<\/p>\n In mid-November, the Delaware County GOP headquarters in Media was vandalized<\/a>; images shared showed the office’s glass front door shattered. The incident prompted Republican leaders to denounce growing political violence.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis is yet another disturbing example of the rising hostility directed at Republicans in communities across Pennsylvania and the nation,\u201d the Pennsylvania Republican Party said in a statement. \u201cThere is absolutely no room for violence in our political discourse. Disagreements are part of democracy. Smashing windows is not.\u201d<\/p>\n Additionally, after two members of Pennsylvania\u2019s congressional delegation were featured in a November video<\/a> urging members of the U.S. military and intelligence communities to \u201crefuse illegal orders\u201d from the Trump administration, Trump suggested that the members \u2013 which included U.S. Reps. Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan, both of whom are veterans \u2013 had engaged in seditious behavior. \u201cSEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!\u201d Trump wrote in a Nov. 20 post on Truth Social.<\/p>\n Following the release of the video and Trump\u2019s subsequent comments, Houlahan said on Nov. 21<\/a> that her office was the target of a bomb threat. Deluzio said he has received death threats and that two of his western Pennsylvania offices have been the target of bomb threats.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cPolitical violence threatens the foundational principle that we can govern ourselves and live with liberty in our noble pursuit of happiness,\u201d he said in a series of posts on X.<\/a> \u201cEveryone must be clear in saying all forms of political violence are wrong. That should not be hard to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Off-year, on notice<\/p>\n This year\u2019s election season was widely seen as a bellwether for the 2026 midterms \u2013 and it did not disappoint in that regard.<\/p>\n Up for grabs in November were numerous mayoral offices across the commonwealth, the Philadelphia District Attorney\u2019s Office, and three seats on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, the latter of which drew millions of dollars in spending from both sides of the aisle.<\/p>\n Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner cruised to victory<\/a>, besting former Judge Patrick Dugan to become just the second DA in city history to serve more than two terms since the city\u2019s Home Rule Charter was adopted in the 1950s. On the opposite side of the state, Democrat Corey O\u2019Connor<\/a> won an election to become the city\u2019s next mayor after defeating incumbent Mayor Ed Gainey in the Democratic primary in the spring.<\/p>\n The commonwealth\u2019s three elections to retain state Supreme Court Justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty and David Wecht \u2013 in which voters overwhelmingly decided to keep the three justices on the bench<\/a> for new 10-year terms \u2013 arguably attracted the most attention.<\/p>\n Political organizations spent more than $9.2 million in independent expenditures to influence the Supreme Court retention races through mailers, TV ads, digital ads, emails and text messaging.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/27945_LG_SEPTA_EmilyDamiano_040-inline.jpg\")
\nLong-term funding for mass transit systems is expected to be a major focus in Harrisburg in the coming year. Photo credit: Commonwealth Media Services<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/cd-2-inline.jpg\")
\nU.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio was the target of death threats and bomb threats in 2025. Photo credit: U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio’s office<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/22519_jcs_chiefJustice_18-inline.jpg\")
\nPennsylvania Supreme Court Justice David Wecht was retained for a new 10-year term in 2025.<\/p>\n