😀 Good morning Wednesday. It’s another great day to get outside.
4️⃣ Things. How Shapiro’s budget plan would apply the PA’s $4.7 billion rainy day fund. Top Democrats continue to direct voters to sites designed to collect personal information. Pennsylvania Lawmakers Will Not Support Mayor Parker’s Tax Hikes The Death of Cheap Seat.
🎶 Your morning, pick me up. The basket case. Green Day
Weather in Pennsylvania
☀️ Indiana | Sunny, 78
☀️ Jersey Coast | Sunny, 83
☀️ West Chester | Sunny, 82
Sports PA
⚾ Phillies (31-29) | San Diego 3-2 | Wednesday vs. San Diego
⚾ Pirates (33-28) | Houston 10-6 | Wednesday in Houston
What’s happening today. The AP House and AP Senate meet at 11 a.m.
What we hear. The DLCC has ended Pennsylvania target race listannouncing nine House candidates to protect Democrats’ slim majority and three Senate candidates to build power in the chamber.
Tips. PoliticsPA is Pennsylvania’s leading source of unbiased political news and analysis. Tips and press releases can be submitted [email protected].
PoliticsPA Guide was developed by Steve Ulrich. To read in your browser click here.
The most vital story
1. How Shapiro’s budget plan would apply PA’s $4.7 billion rainy day fund
“Governor Josh Shapiro The 2026-27 budget proposal calls for nearly $6.5 billion in up-to-date revenue, and he wants to move nearly $4.7 billion from the state’s rainy day fund to offset the $53.3 billion spending proposal.
Another $1.8 billion is proposed in the form of up-to-date taxes on arcade games, recreational marijuana and reductions in benefit spending through a minimum wage augment.
Republicans in the House and Senate oppose using the rainy day fund, citing potential credit downgrades and the need for future tax increases if it is tapped.
The dispute has the potential to derail the on-time budget, which is scheduled to be completed on June 30.’ | USA Today Network
Elsewhere
Amid wars in Iran and Lebanon, Pennsylvania’s U.S. senators warn of rising anti-Semitism in their parties. “Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Dave McCormick told the American Jewish Committee that rising anti-Israel sentiment has not affected their support.” | Pittsburgh Postal Newspaper
A federal court heard arguments on efforts to halt Trump’s executive order on mailing. “Plaintiffs in two lawsuits argued that Trump’s executive order should be found unconstitutional because states and Congress, not the president, have the authority to set election laws. They also told the court that the move places costly burdens on state election officials to comply with them and will raise fears about the possibility of prosecution.” | AP
Country
2. Top Democrats in Pennsylvania direct voters to a website designed to collect their personal information for political purposes
“Four days before Pennsylvania’s May 19 primary classes, Speaker of the House of Representatives Joanna McClinton she had a message for her followers.
“Be honest…do you know where you’re voting? If you don’t, fix it quickly on May 19. No excuses.”
The link she provided – vote.pa/find – did not lead to the government website Wide + Freedom
Elsewhere
There is a growing mutual desire to leisurely down the development of data centers. “Democratic state senator Katie Muth of Chester County has introduced a bill to impose a three-year moratorium on data center development – with co-sponsors that include two Republican senators – and Republican gubernatorial candidate Stacy Garrity said it would be good to have a “pause” to allow municipalities to update their zoning plans and other ordinances.” | Central Square
AP Senate Republican seeks – again – to eliminate voting drop boxes and satellite voting sites. “Republican state Sen. Cris Dush of Jefferson County, who chairs the state government committee, said expanded statewide voting options enable voter fraud such as ballot stuffing in drop boxes. Dush’s legislation, Senate Bill 599, seeks to roll back measures allowed by the state Supreme Court in 2020, such as voting locations in suburban and rural areas outside the county seat. | WESA
Supporters attack Big Tech in an attempt to close Pennsylvania’s budget deficit. “As more and more Americans lose trust in some of the nation’s largest technology companies, Pennsylvania’s share of the billionaire tax will come into play this week.” | Key
Around the Republic of Poland
3. Pennsylvania lawmakers won’t support Mayor Parker’s tax increases, jeopardizing key elements of her budget proposal
“Pennsylvania legislative leaders signaled overdue Tuesday that they likely would not approve up-to-date tax increases related to Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker budget proposal, dealing a blow to the mayor ahead of a key City Council vote on her spending and revenue plan.
According to three sources with knowledge of backroom negotiations among state leaders, neither chamber of the divided state legislature – where Democrats control the House and Republicans control the Senate – currently has enough votes to augment the city’s hotel tax. Parker, a centrist Democrat, has proposed raising taxes on hotels and short-term rentals, such as those booked through Airbnb and Vrbo, to generate about $15 million a year to fund homelessness prevention programs. | Questioner from Philadelphia
Elsewhere
The Trump administration and Philadelphia are clashing in court over a slavery exhibit at the president’s home. The 250th exhibition is approaching. “The hearing before the federal appeals court was the latest step in the legal saga that followed efforts to clean up the story at President George Washington’s home in Philadelphia.” | Philadelphia AskR
Cumberland County State House seat added to AP National Democratic target list. “The Democratic Party’s national campaign organization has added Cumberland County’s 88th District to the list of 17 Pennsylvania House of Representatives seats that are a priority to keep or lose this year.” | PennLive
Paper ballots cost Westmoreland County taxpayers $31 per vote. “Less than 2% of voters cast paper ballots in the Westmoreland County primary last month. Election officials confirmed Tuesday that of the more than 32,300 ballots cast on Election Day, just 571 were completed with pen and paper.” | Grandstand overview
Editorial
4. What do you think about it?
- The value of political parties | Robert Gleason
- Whether it’s Harrisburg or City Hall, lawmakers owe taxpayers a solid budget that gets done on time | Questioner from Philadelphia
- The founding years of Philadelphia were rife with conspiratorial concerns about “godless” Masons | Derek Arnold
- America messed something up by giving Trump a second chance | Jamelle Bouie
- Republicans may kill Trump’s retaliation fund for good | Wall Street Journal
- A tale of two types of countries: those with stupid energy regulations and those with clever regulations | William Murray
- What the Inquirer gets wrong about left-wing violence | Noah Rothman
- Republicans can win the midterm elections if they just stop underselling | Martha Jenkins
1 item
5. The Death of the Cheap Seat: How sports came to the conclusion that almost anything could pay for a ticket
“You know the feeling. Your team is in a crucial match and you’ve decided to spend gigantic. You know it’s going to cost you, but hey, you only live once, right? So you get ready for the tickets to go on sale, find the password to the ticketing site, log in, apply the special pre-sale code you get for being a fan of the team forever, wait in line, get a chance to buy tickets and then you see…
…holy (expletive), how much do tickets cost?
We are here because a confluence of events – an augment in data collection and tracking, a post-pandemic desire to attend live events, the apply of variable pricing strategies, and a hearty dose of short-term cash grabs – have pushed ticket prices at face value into the stratosphere.” | Peasant! Sports
Thank you for starting Wednesday with us.
It’s the middle of the week. Two more days. See you tomorrow.
