HARRISBURG, PA – November 12, 2025 – The Pennsylvania General Assembly today passed a budget agreement, ending four months of budget gridlock and unlocking key investments that will advance Pennsylvania’s schools, families and workforce.
Senator Tim Kearney (D-Delaware) issued the following statement in response to the budget agreement:
“After four difficult months without a budget, cooler leaders finally prevailed and forged an agreement that will move Pennsylvania forward. While such legislative compromise in a divided government will always involve disappointing compromises, this budget will ultimately accelerate the progress for our communities that Democrats have fought for and achieved in recent years.”
“This budget takes another step towards ensuring an equitable education system for all $671 million in fresh funding for public schoolsand generating $175 million in savings by finally enacting significant reforms to our broken Cybersecurity Charter Funding Act. So do we retained $125 million to invest in school building repair programs and the Solar for Schools program so more schools can save taxpayers money on utility costs. We are overloaded Child care centers will receive $25 million incentives to recruit and retain more workers to assist escalate productivity, and student-teachers will have access $30 million in scholarships to assist them by working unpaid in our public schools.
“Notably, this budget also provides savings for working Pennsylvanians overwhelmed by rising inflation and tariff costs under the Trump Administration. My Democratic Senate colleagues and I helped win fresh tax credit for working in Pennsylvaniathis will ensure $193 million tax refund to one million Pennsylvanians who fight poverty every day. At the same time that Trump is starving Americans, building a ballroom and throwing billions of dollars at Argentina’s economy, Pennsylvania Democrats Actually putting working people first.
“Protecting our Medicaid and health care needs is another reason I support this budget. I was able to raise $6 million in funding for Delco healthcare providers who work overtime after Crozer closes. New funds worth $21 million will also be dedicated escalate the number of home care workers support our loved ones across the state.
“AP Senate Republicans have held up this budget for months with nonsensical demands, unjustified resistance to fresh revenues like legalization and taxation of adult-use cannabis, and a reckless disregard for the needs of our communities. As a faction of far-right Republican senators continues to refuse to vote for a realistic budget, Senate Democrats have had to step up to secure enough votes to pass this deal. While many of us are frustrated that the budget prevents Pennsylvania from joining to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and do not currently have critical funding for SEPTA and other transit agencies, we are doing whatever it takes to put an end to this budget madness, promising that we will continue to fight for progress on transit and pristine energy.
You can find Senator Kearney’s budget response Here.
For more information about this press release, please contact Senator Tim Kearney’s office at 610-544-6120.
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