Editorial: Just get the budget done, Harrisburg
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Gov. Josh Shapiro laid out a plan for cooperation in his budget address Tuesday.
Heading into his third budget negotiation, he outlined priorities that might be consensus builders between his Democratic Party and the Republicans on the other side.
He talked about seniors. He talked about kids. He talked about building up the state more as a business leader. He talked about supporting firefighters and police officers. All of those are the kinds of baby- kissing, check- presenting opportunities politicians love for a photograph.
But not all of the topics on his list were popular on both sides of the aisle.
Some might be because of the item itself. The GOP members of the General Assembly will never be enthusiastic about talk of raising the minimum wage. It’s a long-held plank in the platform for Republicans to want business to drive this — and that’s been the case. While the state minimum has been $7.25 for 16 years, many of the most entry-level part-time positions have gone up to $12 or $15 because of competition for workers.
Others might have gotten a cold shoulder because it was a Democrat talking about them. When talking about assisting agriculture — something important to pocketbooks as the state grapples with avian flu and egg prices — the governor went off script to note the lack of support.
“I’ve never seen so many people who represent farmers who can’t even clap for them,” Shapiro said.
It was a rare snide moment in a speech with an otherwise conciliatory tone.
Overall, the budget proposal starts at $51.5 billion for the 2025-26 fiscal year. It seems likely to be yet another down-to-the-wire dog fight between legislators and the governor’s office.
There was attention on the usual sticking points — like K-12 schools, and public and state-related colleges. Those are the fights that tend to push the budget weeks or months past its June 30 deadline.
But there was little acknowledgment of what can’t be predicted — how federal changes could upset the upcoming state spending.
The resounding chorus in Washington has been about sending things “back to the states.” President Donald Trump has used that regarding emergency management amid the California wildfires and the aftermath of the 2024 hurricanes in the South. On Monday, there were reports that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency would be implementing an executive order to kill the federal Department of Education.
While Shapiro’s objectives — from legalizing marijuana to taxing skill games — will no doubt remain in play, Harrisburg needs to recognize what’s happening in the White House and deal with it openly as part of the budget process. That should start with the governor’s opening play.
These ideas and actions have been politically polarizing. However, when it comes to budget planning, whether the governor or the Legislature or any of the voters agree is not important. If there is going to be a cost, it needs to be anticipated.
With that in mind, Shapiro and the lawmakers cannot afford to let the budget process play out the way it has in recent years. This cannot be a game of chicken. It cannot be about who wins.
All of those people noted in the speech — from seniors and kids to businesses and farmers to firefighters and police — are going to need help. This is no time for gamesmanship. Just get it done.