The late budget marks the fourth consecutive delayed budget under Governor Shapiro’s administration in Pennsylvania.
It’s official. Pennsylvania’s state budget is late yet again, with the deadline to enact a spending plan for the next fiscal year having passed by on Tuesday night.
Negotiations have been ongoing between Governor Josh Shapiro and leaders of the Senate Republican and House Democratic majorities.
Under Senate rules, the budget bill is required to be read on three separate days which will further delay passage of a state budget.
At an event in Monroe County last Friday, Governor Shapiro revealed his frustrations with the looming budget deadline.
“There’s no excuses anymore. The legislature has a legal responsibility to show up for work, to do their jobs, and to put a budget on my desk. I think they should stay there until they get a budget on my desk. There’s no reason it can’t get done shortly,” the governor said.
The reality is that this is the fourth consecutive budget that has arrived late for Pennsylvania under Governor Shapiro.
The Commonwealth’s 2025-2026 budget was significantly delayed. The impasse resulted in the budget being signed into law over six months past the June 30 deadline, which impacted taxpayers across Pennsylvania.
On Monday, leaders of both chambers met in Harrisburg to conduct closed door negotiations.
In an interview after the meeting, a spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman said that “discussions regarding the budget are still ongoing at this time.”
The state House passed a bill containing Governor Shapiro’s budget proposal in April, but Senate Republicans are strongly opposed to the level of spending attached to the legislation. Leaders of the state Senate expressed concerns with the impact the bill would have on the state’s structural deficit.
“The PA House did NOT pass a budget. They passed a spending wish list that spends $6 million more than revenues. A budget includes both spending and the revenues to balance it,” a critic wrote on social media along with a graph depicting Shapiro’s deficit that would accompany his spending plan as passed by the state House.
“We’ve yet to see a budget come from the state Senate,” said House Appropriations Chair Rep. Jordan Harris (D-Philadelphia). He said, “what we’re waiting for is the Senate to tell us or show us what they can do.”
On Monday, the Senate Appropriations Committee amended the House-passed budget bill by stripping controversial provisions in an effort to move the legislation out of committee swiftly.
The reaction across the Commonwealth to another late budget has been strong.
The state Senate has recessed for the July 4 holiday and will remain recessed until a deal is struck.
“The PA Senate GOP has once again failed at their most important task. Instead they’re heading on vacation. This November it’s time for a leadership change. We need people serious about getting to work for Pennsylvania,” wrote one critic on social media.
Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman said that he does not expect a deal to be struck until after July 4.
“Pennsylvania sure will start its new fiscal year with no spending plan in place, though the real impacts won’t be felt for weeks,” a user wrote on social media.
