Harrisburg – as the main SEPTA services closer together with the upcoming state budget of Pennsylvania His eighth week behind schedule, the battle lines in Harrisburg become clear: this is the Philadelphia Vs. region. all.
It was chords perceptible in the Republican leader of the majority of the Republican Senate, Joe Pittman, who on Tuesday evening in the speech of John Mellencamp Lyric-Infused on Tuesday evening, in which he quoted the song “Small Town” to remember his upbringing in the Western Western Pennsylvania in one city.
Pittman from Indiana has moved to politics against politicians in Philadelphia, which he and other Republicans of the Countryside perceive the economic growth of his communities-Witriol, which, as he said, received from those in south-eastern Pennsylvania in connection with the financing of Sept and other mass transport.
“Human nature suggests why would I help something? I never receive any help for my region,” said Pittman, noticing the threats that he said that he received from transit supporters during mass transport debate. “Why should I do something to help the south -eastern part of the state?”
The opposite side of this sentiment sounded a representative of the state of Melissa Shusterman (D., Chester) on Friday, when she announced Prepared the rules Divide tax collection in Pennsylvania into three categories so that Philadelphia and its poviats of the collar keep their own earnings to pay for their schools, law enforcement agencies, mass transport and others. The same agreement would apply to metropolitan areas in Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, in which denser and more democratic populations live, which generate a significant part of the state’s income.
Often and loudly Refrain from democratic legislators, because septa Service cutting is to come into force next week without additional Harrisburg funds, Do Philadelphia and the surrounding region – the main economic center of the state – generate greater revenues than rural parts of the state and in exchange only a fraction of state financing.
“We run, police and plowing these roads and bridges in Crawford and every other rural county here. Let’s pay for it,” said Rep. Ed Neilson (D., Philadelphia) on the floor of the house last week. “And we don’t ask you to save us, because to be honest, Potter, Crawford … You can’t help us. … You’re not enough.”
Shusterman’s proposal raised the basic question that Philadelphides and suburb are increasingly asking a mass system in the region tragic cuts: why does the region pour money into the state government that will not aid in return?
“Our people will be hurt and you will also be hurt. I think it is a part you don’t grab,” said Neilson, turning to your colleagues from GOP. “You will be hurt, all of the nations in this community will be hurt. If we close the economic engine, without introducing people to work in Philadelphia and south -eastern Pa.
SEPTA is in the face of an operational deficit of $ 213 million for the 2026 financial year, which began on July 1. As a result, and without additional funds from Harrisburg, the sixth largest transit agency in the country plans to protect 20% in service on August 24, August 24 and a serious tariff growth on September 1.
The crisis of financing mass transit in Pennsylvania is long. Legislators have been needing for years to secure a new repetitive source of mass transit financing, after changes in earlier financing of mass transport to enable Pennsylvania Turnpike to bring only $ 50 million a year, compared to $ 450 million a year, which he contributed for decades.
Democrats in Harrisburg, from Governor Josh Shapiro to Rang-and-Files of state representatives, said that finding a repeated stream of funding for mass transport of Pennsylvania is a priority for them, but they were not able to agree on the option of generating revenues.
Many Republican legislators, including Pittman, have admitted that mass transit is needed throughout their entire state, not only in south -eastern Pennsylvania. But the upcoming Septa services claim that she will be forced to implement from August 24, bad blood appeared between the rural republicans and the south -eastern Pennsylvania of Democrats once again.
On Friday, the mayor of Philadelphia Cherlll L. Parker said that she believes that the leaders of GOP in Harrisburg would try to compromise and “do not believe that septa is in a box, that it is only urban, Philadelphia in south -eastern Pennsylvania.”
Division in “DNA Pennsylvania”
The rural-city division is not a new tension in the state government in Pennsylvania.
He is in “DNA Pennsylvania,” said Christopher Borick, a professor of political sciences at Muhlenberg College.
Philadelphia is Original Pennsylvania house originalIndependence Hall, in which colonial legislation in Pennsylvania and the early US Congress met from 1753 to 1800. Members of the General Assembly of Pennsylvania decided to move west, partly due to the growth of population in Philadelphia.
Stanów’s Capitol first moved to Lancaster, before he finally found his home in Harrisburg in 1812 in south-center Pennsylvania. Other states, such as Illinois and Kansas, decided to put their capital in centralized locations outside their main cities to ensure a more equal energy distribution.
In the following decades, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, and more precisely, rural vs.-region of Philadelphia.
Borick said that the division of Pennsylvania is only steep, because national policy is becoming more polarized – and is an example of a general assembly in a transit case.
In a divided legislator, the Democrats have most of the places in a 203-part state house, largely due to the swing of Philadelphia collar districts on the left. Thanks to this, the Filadelphia region diverse and economically gathered more power since 2022, when the Democrats overturned the house and its leading leaders come from Philadelphia and Montgomery, and many city members or in the suburbs acting as chairman of the Committee. Shapiro is also a former representative of the state from Montgomery, he lives in ABINGTON TUBNSHIP and remains the champion of the Philadelphia region.
However, in a 50-member Senate, most GOP is run by senators from Western Pennsylvania. Many GOP members represent large swaths of rural Pennsylvania.
And mass transit is not the only political A regional problem in a 283-kilometer, geographically diverse country that contains extensive mountain ranges, almost 60% covered by forests, the great lake and more. Other issues, such as financing public schools, for example, have long favored the falling parts of Western Pennsylvania in connection with the developing population growth in south -eastern Pennsylvania, dividing legislators based on their home district instead of their party.
Former state senator Vince Fumo, a democrat from southern Philadelphia, who for 31 years was a powerful force in Harrisburg, before he was convicted of fraud and other crimes, he became a master of navigating after the division of rural-city, even in the minority during most of his career.
“It’s nothing modern,” Fumo said about the division of financing of mass transit. “It exists as long as the community was nearby. We always had rural municipal versus.”
Borick said that the election of former governor Ed Rendell was the most significant points in Pennsylvania. In a state He has long seen his largest city, as defeated (often democratic) corruptionThe election of the former mayor of Philadelphia to the higher office was “quite symbolic”.
“Mayor of Philadelphia? Be a governor?” Borick said. “This was almost perceived as impossible because of distrust of Philadelphia.”
Achieving the contract
Fumo said on Friday that he believes that legislative leaders should come up with a solution so far and Shapiro should stop the best leaders in the room until the contract is developed.
Shapiro, Pittman and the leader of the majority of House Matt Bradford (D., Montgomery) still met in closed negotiations on the weekend, as they did for over two months to try to achieve a general budget agreement, as well as a mass transit agreement.
But Fumo suggested that in the absence of a contract, the upcoming cuts of services would force an agreement.
“You can get something from chaos,” Fumo added. “Now everyone is playing hardball. But s … they haven’t hit a fan yet and maybe you have to let it.”
For his part, Pittman said that his two-year proposal to finance mass transit with a value of $ 1.2 billion, which includes $ 412 million for road and bridge repairs and has been killed by Democrats in the State Chamber since then, was an attempt to recognize the needs of Philly and south-eastern Pennsylvania.
Bradford and Democrats conquered the plan of the GOP Senate as a bad effort, which would break the necessary capital funds from the transit agency. House Democrats have undergone funds for mass transport five times over the past two legislative sessions, including last week, all of which have not been considered by the Senate, because the GOP Senate rejects a democratic plan to use a larger sales tax to finance transit.
“Despite the way our rural communities are perceived and treated, we are here to support the south -eastern pensylvania,” added Pittman. “Now you may not like the recipe for the soup we have made, but we have made a recipe for soup that concerns problems.”
Adjustment: The earlier version of this story was found an incorrect date when the SEPTA tariff increases. The tariff growth by 21.5% will be used for all riders from September 1. The story has also been updated to improve the quote from the state representative Ed Neilson.
