Pennsylvania - BlogFlock

What Now for Democrats for Education Reform? - Bucks County Beacon

2025-03-13T17:11:26.000Z

Mary Tamer, a former Boston School Committee member and public education advocate, seemed like a natural fit to lead the Massachusetts chapter of Democrats for Education Reform (DFER-M) when she was named its executive director in 2022. But Tamer, who has since been ousted from DFER-M, is now engaged in a bitter legal dispute with its national parent group, claiming that DFER is a right- wing front for billionaires like Charles Koch.

A group of New York hedge fund managers formed DFER in 2007 to promote charter schools. The organization’s founders saw Democrats as the barrier to privatizing education through charter schools. “So it dawned on us,” founder Whitney Tilson said, “that it had to be an inside job. The main obstacle to education reform was moving the Democratic Party, and it had to be Democrats who did it, it had to be an inside job.” What Tilson meant by “moving the Democratic Party” was ramping up a stealth campaign.

According to education historian Diane Ravitch, DFER’s core values derive from its beliefs in the Republican Party’s agenda to privatize public services, whether it’s redirecting public education dollars to charter schools and voucher-funded private schools or outsourcing the teacher workforce to private organizations like Teach for America. And it aims to get this agenda enacted not by slugging it out fairly through the democratic process but by using private wealth to influence decisions affecting the public.

Nevertheless, in a few short years DFER captured the attention of Barack Obama, who had become frustrated with Chicago public schools and was open to alternatives. And the organization would eventually have its heyday during the Obama Administration. Some of its state branches performed effectively, including in Colorado and the Washington, D.C., branch. It developed strong ties to major political figures, including Cory Booker, Andrew Cuomo, Governor Patrick Molloy of Connecticut, and Hakeem Jeffries.

Tamer’s complaint names DFER as a defendant, alongside the affiliated organization Education Reform Now and its advocacy group, Education Reform Now Advocacy. The complaint centers around the alleged gender- and age-based mistreatment Tamer received from DFER CEO Jorge Elorza, which she claims began after she inquired about “Mr. Elorza’s decision to join a Koch-funded rightwing coalition that seemed contrary to the organization’s best interests and mission.”

Perhaps Tamer should not have been so surprised to find DFER allied with big money—the organization has, after all, accepted large sums from billionaires, primarily in the hedge fund industry, who believe in privatizing education through charter schools and vouchers. But wealthy conservatives who also seek to dismantle public education are avid funders, too. Rupert Murdoch sank at least $1 million into DFER, hoping it would help swing K-12 business to his education tech company. Jonathan Sackler, heir to the OxyContin-producing Purdue Pharma, made a $10,000 donation to DFER-Massachusetts before Tamer’s tenure. Other well-documented billionaire Republican DFER donors include Home Depot co-founder Ken Langone and hedge fund manager Stanley Druckenmiller.

The “rightwing coalition” mentioned in Tamer’s complaint appears to be the No More Lines Coalition, which includes Koch-allied organizations such as American Legislative Exchange Council, State Policy Network, and Americans for Prosperity—the “troika” of Koch’s political organization—plus, Koch-funded groups yes. every. kid., Libre Initiative, Stand Together Trust, and the Independent Women’s Forum. School choice proponent 50CAN, Betsy DeVos’s American Federation for Children, and the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools are also members of the coalition.

Elorza has also been a speaker at the Charles Koch Institute.

The Walton family, of Walmart billions, has been the major financial backer of DFER for more than a decade. There are many documented instances of Walmart workers being mistreated by higher-ups. Tamer’s complaint depicts an organization spiraling downward, with key women leaders fleeing or being forced out, and state chapters closing.

READ: Report Exposes How Charter Schools Are Doomed to Fail – at Taxpayers’ Expense

Tamer’s complaint alleges that the chief financial officer and the chief operating officer, both women of color, left within months of Elorza taking over in 2023. On November 1, 2023, board members Marlon Marshall and John Petry acknowledged the problems and authorized a report on the organization’s culture, which was damning. “Soon thereafter,” the complaint continues, “presumably as a result of the report and the organization’s response,” Marshall and board member and organizational founder Charles Ledley resigned. Ledley also allegedly called for Elorza to resign.

The complaint also alleges that a number of other women leaders were pushed out of DFER, including Jen Walmer, a Colorado director who had proved so consequential that Governor-elect Jared Polis selected her for his education transition team in 2018, and Connecticut state executive director Amy Dowell.

Since 2009, DFER has claimed to be operating in nineteen different states and the District of Columbia. By February 2025, only the Louisiana, New York, Texas, and D.C. chapters remained. In January 2023, the number of national staff listed on DFER’s website was thirteen. By February 2025, there were only four.

The lawsuit story was originally reported by Adam Gaffin at UniversalHub in Boston and also by Julie Manganis at Law360. The story has not been reported in The Boston Globe, the region’s main news outlet. In happier days, The Globe routinely used DFER representatives, including Tamer, as sources for education stories, and it printed in 2023 an op-ed on education by Tamer.

It’s hard to tell what DFER’s troubles will mean for the pro-privatization movement in education, which continues to pick up steam. But perhaps DFER’s internal turmoil, its organizational downsizing, and its declining status are signs that the pro-privatization action in K-12 is at least moving away from the faux Democratic facade to the full-throated rightwing organizations like the ones backed by Koch.

This article was originally published in The Progressive and is reprinted here with permission.

Q&A: Congressman Glenn Thompson talks tariffs, SNAP, and immigration’s impact on agriculture - Pennsylvania Capital-Star

2025-03-13T17:08:14.000Z

U.S. Rep Glenn "GT" Thompson, and state and local officials, cut the blue ribbon, officially opening the 2025 PA Farm Show in Harrisburg Jan. 5, 2025 (Commonwealth Media Services photo)

When U.S. Rep. Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson (R-15th District) was elected as the chair of the U.S. House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee last session, he became the first Pennsylvanian in nearly 170 years at the helm of the panel.

“(Agriculture) really is Pennsylvania’s number one industry,” Thompson told the Capital-Star in an interview on Wednesday. “It’s America’s number one industry, and it comes with incredible responsibility.”

In addition to providing food for the nation, Thompson said farmers and other workers in the industry are tasked with delivering fiber, building materials, and energy resources.

“My responsibility as chairman really encompasses making sure that we have food security as a nation, we have an agriculture industry that is stable…is robust,” Thompson, the dean of Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation, said to the Capital-Star. “And that’s a challenge right now, because we’ve had four very difficult years we’ve come out of and the state of the farm economy is not strong right now.”

Thompson detailed the current trade deficit in agriculture, but said his committee is working hard to deliver economic support to farmers, ranchers and foresters across the nation, while also passing a Farm Bill “as soon as possible.” The ally of President Donald Trump struck an optimistic tone of working with the administration to improve agriculture.

He spoke with the Capital-Star about the plethora of challenges facing the agriculture industry in Pennsylvania and beyond, including expanding SNAP benefits in the next Farm Bill, the impact of tariffs from Trump’s administration, and reforming the H-2A visa program.

This interview was edited for length and clarity.

Capital-Star: When I spoke with you early in January at the Pennsylvania Farm Show, you told me that you thought Brooke Rollins, who has since been confirmed to serve as the US Secretary of Agriculture would be, “the Cabinet member that’s closest to President Trump.”

So what are your priorities that you, along with Secretary Rollins and President Trump, have for this upcoming Farm Bill?

Thompson: It really is to restore a robust rural economy and, quite frankly, to create an environment where we begin to rebuild the population of rural America, because rural America is essential America.

As you know, all the things that are largely essential in people’s lives that they need, come from those parts of Pennsylvania and those parts of our country.

I’m really excited about the partnership that I have with Secretary Rollins. I just hosted her here in the capital yesterday, last evening.

There’s some immediate things, John, as well, that are really important to Pennsylvania, and that is dealing with this high pathogenic avian influenza. That really has driven the cost of food and frankly, the cost of eggs, up to exorbitant prices because of this virus that is carried by migratory birds. So it’s ducks and geese and, you know, Pennsylvania is on the flight path.

YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.

But it has resulted in tens of millions of ducks and chickens and turkeys that are being raised just in Pennsylvania, although other states throughout the country to have to…basically had to be called or put down, resulting in fewer, lower supply when the demand remains high, and which drove up the cost.

That is probably one of the most immediate issues that we’re working with President Trump and Secretary Rollins on.

Capital-Star: What would you say is the most pressing issue facing agriculture in rural communities in Pennsylvania and across the country right now?

Thompson: It will be the balance sheet because of the high input costs and low commodity prices, those are the prices they get for what they produce and everything else has been so challenging.

Four years under President Biden, where really agriculture trade was ignored, it has created some real financial hardship. We’ve had some bankruptcies, we would have had a lot more here, this first three months of 2025, if it wouldn’t have been for the $10 billion in economic assistance that I was able to work with my colleagues and, quite frankly, with the agriculture industry, to obtain back in December. Secretary Rollins is currently in the process of getting that money distributed among farmers and ranchers throughout the United States. So, that’s been the biggest challenge.

But there are a lot of opportunities for improvements that we’ve worked into the Farm Food and National Security Act of 2024. Back in that Congress, we did pass that bill out of committee with bipartisan support. Unfortunately, the Senate didn’t really have a bill (in the) last 30 days to the year, so it was unrealistic to get anything across the finish line, but we’re working right now to and preparing to introduce the Farm Food and National Security Act of 2025 and with all the right people in place.

I’ve got a great ranking member, Democrat from Minnesota, Angie Craig. On the Senate side, John Boozman, Republican senator and a friend of mine. He was a mentor of mine when I first moved to the House, we did Bible study together, he chairs the Senate Agriculture Committee. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat from Minnesota senator, a ranking member in the Senate, an individual who, she’s passionate about agriculture. She’s a great partner to work with. And, of course, as you’ve mentioned, we have Brooke Rollins as the secretary of agriculture.

We have all the right people in place to get this Farm Bill across the finish line, which would address so many, a long list of issues that are out there in our country.

Capital-Star: When do you expect the Farm Bill to be passed, and will reductions of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, be on the table in the negotiations of the upcoming Farm Bill?

Thompson: Absolutely no reductions in the nutritional benefits.

I think that’s a rumor that was started by folks who are anti-farming, and anti-Farm Bill, and in fact, within my version of the Farm Bill, we actually expand access to nutrition, whereas two vulnerable populations who have never been eligible for the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program. That includes folks who were previously incarcerated for felony drug charges. I happen to believe that it’s the right thing to do and a righteous thing to do. If we can help those individuals change their life around by giving them just a little bit of nutritional support when they get out of prison, maybe we can help them change their life around. They can become productive citizens, versus the recidivism that we currently see that’s so expensive to all levels of government, when people are incarcerated.

The other one is adult children of families that are living in financially challenging circumstances. They’re still in high school. Those kids 18 to 21, not all of them, but many of them tend to be children with disabilities. A lot of parents are, where they’re able to, they engage the children in work situations, work settings, whether it’s weekends or summers, because they’re trying to help them develop soft skills and hard skills, to help them be self-sustaining as possible going forward in life. We’ve always counted the income that those children earn against the eligibility for SNAP benefits for those families, and that’s just absolutely wrong.

So, the Farm Bill that I wrote doesn’t penalize these families, these kids, these adult children. They need to be saving that money, to meet their own needs going forward. And so we actually expand benefits.

There has never been a situation where we’re reducing or cutting benefits.

That is just misinformation that some people have heard and others are purposely expressing.

In terms of timing…it will happen in 2025 and the sooner, the better. My goal is to get this done in the first six months and as early as possible.

U.S. Rep. Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson (R-15th District)

Capital-Star: President Trump has been a vocal supporter of implementing tariffs, which you know, can impact a number of industries. Are you concerned about the impact tariffs might have on the agriculture industry in Pennsylvania and beyond?

Thompson: Well, I’m always concerned with tariffs, obviously, especially those that foreign countries will place on our agricultural commodities and there’s a lot of countries that do that.

I like free (trade), but I like free and fair trade.

And so although President Trump in his first four years, did a lot on tariffs, he used it as a tool. He expanded trade dramatically, the China (Phase) One deal, the redo of USMCA from NAFTA.

Now, we did wind up with retaliatory tariffs. And as an agriculture committee, we had to help our farmers and ranchers endure that to a tune of about $28 billion. We stand prepared to do that this time, if necessary. I just don’t think it’s going to be necessary. I think President Trump and his team, those first four years, learned a lot about what to do, what not to do, how to be more effective.

There are very few tools that you have in terms of getting things done and honestly, soft diplomacy takes forever. We know that because our country has been taken advantage of when it comes to trade for many decades, and I think the president’s trade policy is not defined by tariffs, but it’s using tariffs as a tool, and it’s been very effective so far.

We’re seeing a reduction in the amount of fentanyl that is coming into the United States because of the threat of 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, not for a trade war, but because of the drug war. (Note: Here is an article that provides context to the claim)

You know, putting those 25% tariffs out to Canada and Mexico, and they’ve really stepped up. Mexico has put 10,000 troops on our southern border, and the use of technology, and working with our individuals, and Canada, the same thing, and deploying more people using technology, all committed to stopping the flow of this fentanyl into our country.

And so that’s just one example of President Trump using tariffs as a tool and using it very effectively.

Now, as of April 2nd, the President is going to be implementing, at least at this point, reciprocal tariffs. I think reciprocal tariffs are a better way to go.

If you’re a foreign country and and you put 10% tariffs on United States of America on a particular commodity, we’re going to be to put 10% on yours, sort of an eye-for-an-eye approach, and I think that could help to create the situation where the countries were working with will want to lower their tariffs because they don’t want to endure tariffs to the United States.

The United States is a place where the rest of the world still wants to do business. They want to do trade here because of our economy.

The president most recently exempted tariffs for a period of time on all agriculture products, zero tariffs if they were under the included within the United States, Mexico and Canada trade agreement, USMCA. So I think the trade discussion, trade policy, I would call it evolving.

I was successful getting some fundamental things, ingredients for fertilizer at zero tariffs at this point. If it does go back into effect with Canada, where we get a lot of potash from and nitrogen, peat moss, it would go to 10%, but I will say that the administration has been very open to working together.

GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.

Capital-Star: Another thing that I know is an important issue for the agriculture community in Pennsylvania and beyond is the H-2A visa program. The USDA describes it as a program that “helps American farmers fill employment gaps by hiring workers from other countries.” We know they play an important role in agriculture in Pennsylvania. Do you think changes to immigration laws may impact farmers in Pennsylvania and across the country?

Thompson: We need to reform the H2-A program. The H2-A program does not help our year round agriculture needs. The way it’s designed now…it’s got a lot of problems, but it’s primarily for folks to have to get the assistance that need to, perhaps, to plant or to harvest. So it’s only certain times of the year.

Our number one agriculture commodity in Pennsylvania is dairy, and dairy is year round. The same thing for landscaping and the mushroom industry. There’s a lot of livestock.

In the 118th Congress, I led a work task force and appointed 16 members, eight Republicans and eight Democrats. They interviewed a lot of producers and processors. We had people from Pennsylvania come in, but we had farmers and ranchers and processes from all over the country just to identify the workforce needs, because in agriculture, when you don’t have adequate concerns with the workforce, that leads to food insecurity, and food insecurity leads to national insecurity.

That task force, came up with a great list of reforms to the H2-A program, including making it work for year round, but there are a lot of other really good recommendations and a lot of unity.

We’ve already developed some legislative language, and I’ll be, in the not too distant future, opening up, not to introduce the bill but, quite frankly, to do a discussion, and I think it was some type of bill that passed through the Senate.

And so things have really lined up well, in order to be able to advance some great improvements and changes to help increase the certainty for the agriculture workforce.

There’s a lot going on right now with folks who are here illegally, but we need to make sure, for the folks that are here legally, that we have a very efficient, very effective ability of visa program to be able to come here.

And it’s not like they don’t want to hire Americans, they’re not displacing any Americans. Let me make that quite clear, right now. They’re even required to advertise, spend extensive money, and they don’t get anybody that applies, and if somebody, an American citizen does come, they tend not to last more than a day or a week. And so if we don’t have this workforce, we will have food insecurity, and that will very quickly lead to national insecurity.

Capital-Star: Next year, there is a race for governor. A few Republicans, such as state senator Doug Mastriano and Congressman Dan Meuser have already said on the record they’re considering a run for this office.

Are you thinking about weighing in on this race for governor in Pennsylvania next year, and would you consider running for the office?

Thompson: I would be honored to serve the state of Pennsylvania as governor, but I do think at this point in time with where I’m at in Congress that my best leadership and service for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is right here in Washington, DC.

I’m sure I will be involved at some point in the gubernatorial race, but I suspect there’s going to be more than two people on the Republican side that have indicated interest. I suspect we’ll see folks start, more people start to emerge here in 2025 preparing for 2026.

U.S. agency has stopped supporting states on election security, official confirms - Pennsylvania Capital-Star

2025-03-13T16:18:12.000Z

Workers at the Allegheny County Elections warehouse in Pittsburgh begin processing ballots for the recount in the U.S. Senate race, Nov. 20, 2024 (Capital-Star photo)

This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access.

The federal government has halted election security activities and ended funding for the system that alerts state officials of election security threats across state lines, a representative of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency told state election officials last week.

The March 3 email, obtained exclusively by Votebeat, confirmed for secretaries of state and state election directors what they had read in news reports and noticed happening in practice: that President Donald Trump’s administration has suspended or dismantled federal support for election security, at least for now.

The administration stopped funding the Election Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center, or EI-ISAC, which alerts state officials of active election threats in other states, because it “no longer supports Department priorities,” CISA’s acting chief external affairs officer, Erin Buechel Wieczorek, wrote in the email. CISA is part of the Department of Homeland Security.

CISA has also taken “appropriate actions” against employees who under the Biden administration had helped states monitor false information about elections posted on social media, Wieczorek wrote, adding that those actions were “ongoing.”

The message went to leaders at the National Association of State Election Directors and the National Association of Secretaries of State.

A spokesperson for CISA declined to comment further, or to confirm the number of employees fired. In initial cuts, in line with the administration’s goal of reducing the size of the federal government, about 130 CISA employees were terminated, according to press reports.

Federal-state partnership on election security unravels

The changes at CISA unravel a long-established partnership between the federal government and the states, which have long relied on the agency to help secure their electronic and physical infrastructure.

Election officials say the EI-ISAC, which was established in 2018 during Trump’s first term following an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, will not be easy to replace.

The rest of CISA’s election security activities are on pause, Wieczorek wrote, as the agency conducts a “broader internal assessment” of funding, products, activities and personnel.

Cyberscoop, a cybersecurity news site, said this assessment was complete as of March 7. A CISA spokesperson did not directly confirm that, but said the assessment “is an internal document that is not planned to be released publicly.”

NASS and NASED officials told Votebeat that states remain committed to ensuring election security, despite the federal pause. But Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes warned U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in a March 7 letter that the halt in services and lack of communication from its officials “raises serious concerns for the security of Arizona’s elections going forward.”

“What was until just last month a longstanding partnership on critical security matters is now complete radio silence from CISA staff except one designee,” Fontes wrote.

Officials in Fontes’ office had invited CISA to join them on election security tours with counties, office spokesperson JP Martin said. CISA often provides physical and cyber security assessments to local election offices across the country.

But Martin told Votebeat that, in mid-February, CISA pulled out of a tour of two northern Arizona counties. Communication stopped after that point.

CISA has now missed tours hosted by the secretary of state in eight of Arizona’s 15 counties, Martin said.

What will CISA’s role in elections be?

As media reported on the cuts and service changes, NASS and NASED officials asked CISA for details about the changes in writing, so they could share it with their members.

But even with the March 3 response, “much remains unknown” about what role the federal agency will play in the future, said Amy Cohen, NASED’s executive director.

Maria Benson, an NASS spokesperson, called that the “the million-dollar question.”

Trump has made it clear, through a Jan. 20 executive order, that CISA will no longer help election officials monitor social media for false claims about elections, which sometimes prompted requests for tech companies to entirely remove some posts. CISA had stepped away from that practice, especially after a 2023 congressional report criticized the agency for unfairly censoring free speech.

At the direction of the Trump administration, CISA completed an initial review of that work, Wieczorek wrote in the email, and is “taking appropriate actions regarding employees found to have participated in these activities.”

Regarding EI-ISAC, Wieczorek wrote, the Center for Internet Security, which ran the system, can still manage it if it chooses. But the center has posted on its website that it no longer supports EI-ISAC because the funding was terminated.

As for the physical and cyber security assessments election officials around the country relied on, Noem told NASS officials in a March 7 letter that the assessments are still available.

State and local officials can continue to receive the assessments, incident response planning resources, and tabletop exercises, Noem wrote.

Officials at Pennsylvania’s Department of State are hopeful that CISA will continue to provide election-related services such as real-time access to threat analyses and warnings about imminent threats, as well as training resources and security services, said Matt Heckel, the department’s press secretary.

Those services were “particularly invaluable to the rural areas of the Commonwealth that cannot replicate those resources,” he wrote.

Votebeat reporter Carter Walker contributed to this report. Jen Fifield is a reporter for Votebeat based in Arizona. Contact Jen at jfifield@votebeat.org. Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization covering local election integrity and voting access. Sign up for their newsletters here.

Who’s Running For Mayor? - PoliticsPA

2025-03-13T15:35:21.000Z

It’s an odd-numbered year which means that many cities in Pennsylvania will be voting for mayor.

Here is a list of the larger cities in the Commonwealth that will be deciding to reelect a sitting mayor, or looking for a different voice in city hall.

1st CLASS CITIES

Pittsburgh

Mayor: Ed Gainey (D)
- Corey O’Connor (D)
- Tony Moreno (R)

2nd CLASS CITIES

Scranton

Mayor: Paige Cognetti (D)
- Bob Sheridan (D)
- Patricia Beynon (R)
- Bob Bolus (R)
- Lynn Labrosky (R)
- Gene Barrett (I)

3rd CLASS CITIES (selected)

Allentown

Mayor: Matt Tuerk (D)
- Ed Zucal (D)
- Solomon Tembo (R)

Bethlehem

Mayor: J. William Reynolds (D)
- Grace Crampsie Smith (D)

Butler

Mayor: Bob Dandoy (D)
- Donald Shearer (R)

DuBois

Mayor: Pat Reasinger (R)

Erie

Mayor: Joe Schember (D)
- Daria Devlin (D)
- Julie Minich (I)

Harrisburg

Mayor: Wanda Williams (D)
- Lewis Butts Jr. (D)
- Tone Cook Jr. (D)
- Lamont Jones (D)
- Dan Miller (D)

Johnstown

Mayor: Frank Janakovic (D) – not seeking reelection
- Sylvia King (D)

Lancaster

Mayor: Danene Sorace (D) – not seeking reelection
- Jaime Arroyo (D)
- Janet Diaz (D)

Lebanon

Mayor: Sherry Capello (R)
- Scott Church (R)
- Damian Vargas (R)
- Sharon Zook (R)
- Cesar B. Liriano (D)

Meadville

Mayor: Jaime Kinder (D)
- Don Erdley (R)

Pottsville

Mayor: Mark Atkinson (D) – not seeking reelection
- Andy Wollyung (D)

Sunbury

Mayor: Josh Brosious (R)
- Andrew Ramos (R)

Warren

Mayor: David Wortman (R)

York

Mayor: Michael Helfrich (D)
- Sandie Walker (D)

Great PA News Quiz: Trump warns colleges, 5 years of COVID-19, and March Madness home teams - Spotlight PA

2025-03-13T15:00:00.000Z

In this week’s news quiz: Gov. Shapiro on MAX, a snowiest city competition, Trump’s warning to Pennsylvania colleges, and COVID-19 five years later.

As always, let us know if you encounter any technical issues. Just email Newsletter Editor Colin Deppen (newsletters@spotlightpa.org) with a heads up. And good luck!

BEFORE YOU GO… If you learned something from this article, pay it forward and contribute to Spotlight PA at spotlightpa.org/donate. Spotlight PA is funded by foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results.

PoliticsPA Playbook: Fetterman Backs GOP Spending Bill - PoliticsPA

2025-03-13T12:10:57.000Z

A Split Decision Thursday. Warm to the west, cooler to the east.

The PoliticsPA Playbook is compiled by Steve Ulrich. To read in your browser, click here. Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe for free.

Your Morning Pick-Me-Up. Ain’t Too Proud to Beg, The Temptations

PA Weather
Heidelberg | Mostly Sunny, 70
Huntingdon | Partly Sunny, 56
Harveys Lake | Partly Sunny, 51

PA Sports
Flyers (27-31-8) | Thu vs. Tampa Bay
Penguins (26-31-10) | Thu vs. St. Louis
Sixers (22-43) | Toronto 105-118 | Fri vs. Indiana

Social Media. Join us on Twitter and Bluesky at @PoliticsPA

Top Story

1. Fetterman Says He’ll Back a GOP Spending Bill to Avoid a Government Shutdown. Will Other Democrats Follow?

“The heat is on for Senate Democrats this week as they weigh whether to support a Republican-led government spending bill that they oppose or to risk being blamed for shutting down the federal government.

And front and center is Sen. John Fetterman, who has vowed to support the bill to avoid a shutdown, in a moment reflective of the larger question confronting the Democratic Party: When to fight and when to fall in line?” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Elsewhere

Scanlon Condemns the Arrest of Columbia Student Mahmoud Khalil in Scathing Letter. “U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon is one of three Democrats circulating a letter castigating President Donald J. Trump’s administration for the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil and seeking answers from two of his top cabinet members about the case.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Warrants For Scott Perry’s Cellphone Finally Unveiled, Revealing True Target. “The affidavit Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigators filed in support of the Perry search stated that they were looking for information implicating Jeffrey Clark.” (PennLive)

U.S.-Made Beer, Bourbon, Motorcycles and More On Tariff List in Trump Trade War With EU. “The European Union released a lengthy list Wednesday of U.S. goods, from Kentucky bourbon to household appliances, slated for retaliatory tariffs in response to President Donald Trump’s taxes on steel and aluminum imports that went into effect overnight.” (Penn Capital-Star)

State

2. Who’s Running For Statewide Court?

“The spotlight of the nation is focused again on Pennsylvania, this time for its retention elections for three of its seven judges on the state’s Supreme Court.

Here is a list of candidates for retention and for vacancies on Pennsylvania’s courts.” (PoliticsPA)

Elsewhere

Sunday Offers Insights to His First Few Weeks As PA Attorney General. “Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday on Wednesday offered more insight into his recent decision to abstain from joining a lawsuit filed by Gov. Josh Shapiro against the Trump administration regarding $2 billion in state funding that was, at the time, frozen.” (PennLive)

‘Our Democracy Will Get Better.’ PA Legislators Push For Open Primaries. “Taxes paid by unaffiliated voters, often called independents, fund primary elections in Pennsylvania, even though they are excluded from participating in them.” (LNP)

Does Pennsylvania’s Natural Gas Industry Pay Its Fair Share of Taxes? “In an appropriations committee hearing, State Senator Art Haywood (D-Philadelphia) said drillers are ripping off Pennsylvania.” (WETM)

PA is Facing a Nursing Shortage. Gov. Shapiro Takes Aim With a $5 Million Proposal. “Hospitals across the state are grappling with a persistent shortage of nurses, straining health care systems and patient care. And Pennsylvania’s workforce shortage is among the most severe in the nation, with the state potentially looking at a dearth of 20,000 nurses by next year.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Who’s Running For County Courts of Common Pleas?

The petition deadline has passed. Here is the list of candidates for vacancies in the state’s Court of Common Pleas. (PoliticsPA)

Elsewhere

Pittsburgh-Area Republicans Look to Compete Up and Downballot as 2025 Ballots Take Shape. “Local Republicans appear to have made good on a pledge to contest every municipal race in the city of Pittsburgh this year, and they have also fielded a candidate in the race for Allegheny County sheriff.” (WESA)

PA LGBTQ Protections Challenged In Court. Why Schools, Parents, Politicians Are Suing. “A lawsuit filed by two school districts and several parents seeks to remove Pennsylvania’s protections for transgender and gay people, redefining the discrimination guidelines for these groups.” (Beaver County Times)

Schools’ Solar Demand Booming in Pennsylvania. “In its pilot round, the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, or DCED, reported receiving 88 grant applications from schools across 25 counties for the Solar for Schools program. Schools requested $88 million in funding — more than three times the available $25 million. ” (The Center Square)

Philly DA Larry Krasner, Former Judge Pat Dugan Talk Trump, Homicides and Retail Theft at Candidate Forum. “The Democratic candidates agreed on most issues but highlighted their differences on issues like the city’s crime rate and the death penalty.” (WHYY)

Editorial

4. Speak Your Mind

As Washington Unwinds Its Commitments, State and Local Governments Will Have to Step Up. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Harrisburg’s Getting a Wake-Up Call. Who Will Answer? (John Baer)
Pundit Nation Was Wrong About Everything. (Peter Kalis)

1 Thing

5. Total Eclipse of the Heart

“Late tonight and early Friday bring the rare chance to see a total lunar eclipse and “Blood Moon.”

Why it matters: This is the first total lunar eclipse since November 2022 and it’s the only lunar eclipse visible from the U.S. this year.

The initial phase of the eclipse, called the penumbral eclipse, begins at 11:57pm ET Thursday, NASA said in its timeline.” (Axios Philadelphia)

Thank you for starting your morning with us.
And reading the PoliticsPA Playbook

Lottery pushes Pa. lawmakers to end profit rules for bigger jackpots - Spotlight PA

2025-03-13T08:00:00.000Z

NGN is a regional news service that focuses on government and enterprise reporting in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Find out more information on foundation and corporate funders here.

The Pennsylvania Lottery wants to bump up the number of games it sells with big-ticket prizes.

It’s a move that could bring in more money for senior citizen programs by offering more attractive games to Lottery players.

“There is an increasing demand for games with bigger payouts — such as the $50 and $30 Scratch-Off tickets,” said Ewa Swope, press secretary for the Lottery, in an email.

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The argument is that if the Lottery dedicates more money to payouts, it will attract more customers and rake in more profit — all of which goes to programs benefiting older Pennsylvanians, such as free bus passes, property tax and rent rebates, and low-cost prescriptions.

But those high payouts mean lower profits, and the Lottery is required to make at least a 20% profit from traditional games sales.

It’s something the Lottery wants to change, and Gov. Josh Shapiro’s 2025-26 budget calls on the legislature to eliminate the profit margin requirement.

The requirement means the Lottery must be conservative about how much it spends on payouts, its biggest expense. Eliminating the requirement means the Lottery could offer more games with high payouts, enticing customers to buy more tickets and generating more profit, even if the percentage is lower.

Essentially, it's a smaller slice of a larger pie.

It won’t change the likelihood that an individual customer will win, Swope said.

“The only thing that will change is that the Pennsylvania Lottery will be able to offer more of the higher price-point games that are popular with our players,” she said.

Scratch-off sales represent about two-thirds of traditional game sales, but numbers have declined: Sales dropped 7.4% in the 2023-24 fiscal year.

Meanwhile, customers are shifting toward buying the higher cost, higher payout scratch-offs, such as the $50 tickets that see prizes of up to $5 million.

“Although it may seem counterintuitive, this artificial profit percentage mandate actually constrains the Lottery’s ability to generate profit — and therefore more money for senior programs,” Swope said.

In 2023-24, about 67% of revenue went to payouts, about 2% to administrative costs, and about 6% to retailer commissions, leaving a profit of 24% for traditional games.

That’s about $1.15 billion that went to senior programs from traditional game sales. If the profit requirement were eliminated, the Lottery could bring in “an incremental increase of $1.24 billion in profit over 10 years,” according to the latest Lottery profit report.

The proposed change is not without pushback. Andrew Shaffer, a board member of the national nonprofit Stop Predatory Gambling, is against the expansion of high payout games.

“The real question we should be asking is whether increasing the already widespread participation in the Pennsylvania Lottery is something that serves the best interests of the people of Pennsylvania,” he said in an email. “Many of the older Pennsylvanians whom the Lottery ostensibly supports do not want the state to push addictive gambling products on their children and grandchildren.”

Shaffer worries that increased lottery participation will “inevitably cause the number of people who are harmed by excessive Lottery gambling to increase.”

In 2024, about 4% of callers to the statewide gambling helpline identified Lottery games as their most problematic form of gambling. Some Lottery funding is given to the helpline, run by the Pennsylvania Council on Compulsive Gambling, said Executive Director Josh Ercole.

As far back as 2013, Lottery officials advocated for a reduction in the profit requirement. In recent years, it’s advocated for the elimination that Shapiro is suggesting.

While You’re Here: If you learned something from this report, pay it forward and become a member of Spotlight PA so someone else can in the future.

“Without a change in the law, we will reach a point where the Lottery will be forced to pull back on these popular games with bigger prizes just to meet the artificial profit percentage requirement,” Swope said. “We are asking members of the General Assembly for their help in eliminating the profit percentage mandate so that the Lottery can plan appropriately to continue increasing prize payouts and, in turn, generate more profits for senior programs.”

Lawmakers have frequently approved acts to decrease the profit margin, which began at 30% and reached the lowest yet at 20% in 2019. In 2022, the legislature extended the 20% requirement another five years.

When it expires in 2029, it will return to 25%.

Pennsylvania is one of seven states with a profit margin mandate and is the only state to dedicate its profits specifically to benefit older residents.

Abigail Hakas is a reporter for Next Generation Newsroom, part of the Center for Media Innovation at Point Park University. Reach her at abigail.hakas@pointpark.edu.

Kalliyan Winder is an intern for Next Generation Newsroom. Kalliyan is a third-year student at Point Park University. Reach her at krwinde@pointpark.edu.

Pennsylvania’s Mushroom Industry Faces Urgent Labor Shortage. Trump’s Immigration Policies Will Likely Make it Worse - Bucks County Beacon

2025-03-13T08:00:00.000Z

Written by Hazel Velasco Palacios and Kathleen Sexsmith, Penn State

“I had never worked with mushrooms before,” Luis said, reflecting on his time in Chester County’s mushroom industry. “But my family has always worked in agriculture, so I like it. I’m used to hard work.”

Luis, whose name is a pseudonym to protect his identity, is part of the latest wave of immigrant workers who have, for decades, come to Chester County to work in Pennsylvania’s US$1.1 billion mushroom industry. He is a Venezuelan migrant who was granted Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, under the 2023 designation. TPS allows foreign nationals already in the U.S. to remain for six, 12 or 18 months – regardless of how they entered – if their home country is deemed too dangerous for them to return.

In February 2025, President Donald Trump terminated TPS for Venezuelans who received protection under the 2023 expansion. According to the Department of Homeland Security, this designation had allowed approximately 348,000 Venezuelans to remain in the U.S. legally, with many eligible for work authorization. Meanwhile, Venezuelans who were granted TPS under the earlier 2021 designation can retain their status until Sept. 10, 2025. This provides temporary relief but leaves their long-term status uncertain.

We are rural sociologists – a Penn State professor and a Ph.D. candidate – who study labor, migration and agriculture in the U.S. Our research examines how industries such as mushroom farming maintain a stable workforce. One of us recently published an article in the peer-reviewed journal Rural Sociology that highlights how Pennsylvania’s mushroom industry was already struggling with a labor shortage.

The termination of TPS for many Venezuelans, along with President Donald Trump’s broader immigration policies – including stricter border enforcement, increased deportations and tighter restrictions on work permits and asylum protections – will likely shrink the pool of available workers in Pennsylvania’s mushroom industry and other agricultural and food industries.

Changing face of the mushroom workforce

Kennett Square, Pa., bills itself as the ‘mushroom capital of the world.’ Nolabob/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

The mushroom industry in Pennsylvania has been shaped and sustained by major waves of U.S. immigration since the late 19th century.

William Swayne, a Quaker florist, is credited with beginning mushroom cultivation in Kennett Square, a small borough in Chester County, in the 1880s.

However, it was Italian immigrants, who began arriving in the early 20th century, who transformed Kennett Square into the “mushroom capital of the world.”

Today, Pennsylvania produces 69% of all mushrooms sold in the U.S.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Chester County alone produced 199 million pounds of mushrooms – mostly white button mushrooms – in the 2023-24 season. While Chester County remains the hub of production, mushroom farms also extend into adjacent Berks County and parts of northeastern Maryland.

Yet, workforce instability remains a pressing issue, as the industry has struggled for decades to recruit and retain workers.

Mushroom picking is physically demanding. Workers in humid, enclosed growing rooms carefully harvest delicate mushrooms by hand to prevent bruising. Pay is structured around a piece-rate system, where earnings depend on speed and productivity. While this model allows some workers to earn more, it also creates instability, as take-home pay fluctuates based on harvest conditions and market demand. These factors make it difficult to maintain a stable workforce.

As a result, mushroom production in Pennsylvania is highly dependent on immigrant labor. While there are no national statistics tracking the nationalities of workers in the industry, our empirical studies and ongoing field research indicate that most of today’s workers are from Mexico and Guatemala. In recent years, more have arrived from Venezuela and elsewhere.

READ: Allentown Adopts Policy of Non-collaboration with ICE as Part of Welcoming City Movement

Many of these newer arrivals have entered the U.S. through programs such as TPS and the Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans, or CHNV. CHNV allows certain people from those four countries who have a sponsor in the U.S. and who pass a background check to live and work in the U.S. for two years. It was established to grant temporary work authorization to individuals fleeing crises in their home countries.

TPS and CHNV have been instrumental in addressing labor shortages in essential U.S. industries such as agriculture.

At the same time, the long-standing Mexican mushroom workforce is undergoing a generational shift and aging out of field labor. Their U.S.-born children sometimes work harvesting jobs in their teens but are unlikely to stay in agriculture long term.

Rise of mushroom labor contractors

To fill employment gaps, many mushroom farms now turn to labor contractors to recruit, manage and employ workers.

Contractors typically handle payroll, workers’ compensation and access to medical care if someone is injured.

On the surface, this system offers benefits for growers. It allows them to adjust their workforce depending on demand while reducing administrative burden and liability.

But for workers, this system can be a double-edged sword.

Evidence from other agricultural industries shows that workers hired through contractors may have less job security, fewer or no benefits, and less direct contact with farm owners – which makes it more difficult to negotiate wages or report workplace concerns.

Some Kennett Square farmworkers we have interviewed see contractors as a source of flexibility.

“I had to miss work for some weeks because my kid was sick, and I lost my spot,” one worker shared. “But then I reached out to a contractor and was able to get another job at a different farm within a day.”

However, that same worker went on to say that this new farm “has wider harvesting beds, and I am getting more tired and have more pain because of it.”

In other words, while labor contractors provide continuity in employment, workers may have less control over where they are placed or the conditions they work under.

For growers, contractors serve as an effective stopgap to keep mushroom farms in operation, but they do not solve their ongoing problem of attracting long-term employees.

Fewer workers, more expensive mushrooms

With fewer workers, mushroom farms may struggle to meet the demand from grocery stores, restaurants and food processors.

A reduced supply could mean customers pay more for mushrooms at grocery stores and restaurants. If retailers must source mushrooms from other states or abroad, prices could rise further due to transportation expenses, tariffs and supply chain disruptions.

Without policies that recognize the industry’s year-round labor needs, Pennsylvania mushroom growers will be left scrambling for alternative workforce solutions.

READ: Mass Deportations Don’t Keep Out ‘Bad Genes’: It’s Scientific Racism That’s Used to Justify Xenophobic Immigration Policies

Lawmakers have attempted to address this issue through the Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2021, which passed the House but stalled in the Senate. If enacted, the bill would create a Certified Agricultural Worker status, which would offer legal protection to experienced farmworkers, and expand H-2A visa eligibility to agricultural workers in year-round jobs such as mushroom farming. The bill also includes a mandatory phase-in of E-Verify for agricultural employers, a federal system used to confirm workers’ legal authorization to work in the U.S.

For now, mushroom farms – and the broader agricultural sector – must prepare for the ripple effects of more rigid immigration restrictions. Without intervention from policymakers, the strain on workers, growers and consumers is likely to intensify.

Hazel Velasco Palacios is a Ph.D. Candidate in Rural Sociology & Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Penn State and Kathleen Sexsmith is Assistant Professor of Rural Sociology at Penn State.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

OPINION: Volodymyr Zelensky Is the Real American - Bucks County Beacon

2025-03-12T22:26:56.000Z

You cannot find America on a balance sheet. Our worth is not measured in tons of steel, bushels of grain, or barrels of oil. The real America is an idea, an ideal — a thing without borders. Born in opposition to tyranny, we stood up to the world’s most powerful military armed with little more than the notion a people should be free to determine their own destiny. Our values are forged in the ability to speak truth to power, stand up for the oppressed, and honor our alliances.

By that standard Volodymyr Zelensky is more American than Donald Trump.

On February 28, Trump and Vice President JD Vance ambushed Zelensky during an oval office meeting. Perhaps it was performative, staged for Russian state media (who happened to be in the room). It’s hard not to think Trump was doing the Kremlin’s bidding. Struggling with his English, Zelensky defended his country against the American administration’s verbal aggression. Much like Benjamin Franklin’s 1774 denigration before King George’s Privy Council, President Zelensky demonstrated strength and resolve. Determined to not let anyone rape Ukraine — not the Russians and their brazen land grab, and not the Americans looking to swipe the county’s rare earth mineral wealth — Zelensky stood strong. He would not humiliate his people. He would not kiss the ring.

What Volodymyr Zelensky wants is what was promised to Ukraine in the 1994 Budapest Memorandum in which Ukraine agreed to hand over its nuclear arsenal (at that time it was the third largest in the world) for security guarantees. Both Russia and the U.S. signed the memorandum. Russia has since blatantly violated the agreement with its 2014 annexation of Crimea, and the United States is welching on its obligation.

Europe now knows America can no longer be trusted. Through this administration’s greed and narcissism we have forgotten when we were attacked on September 11, 2001, it was the Europeans who stood by us — fighting and dying alongside us in Afghanistan. Our allies did not ask to be compensated for their lost blood and treasure. To the Europeans the NATO treaty means something — an attack on one is an attack on all.

Franklin Roosevelt spoke directly to the American soul when he declared support for our allies by explaining when your neighbor’s house is on fire you don’t quibble over the price of your garden hose. What happened to the American soul? We used to be the bastion of the free world, a shining city on a hill. Now we’re a nation of hucksters, money grubbers and extortionists, rendering meaningless the ideals of life and liberty. Cooperation, friendship, and alliances have fallen victim to a twisted obsession for what Trump calls the deal. But how can we negotiate a deal if we’ve lost sight of all that has value.

READ: A president just disrespected America in the Oval Office. It wasn’t Zelensky

Our nation no longer recognizes what is true and what is right. Our once treasured national values are buried under the heavy silt of lies and petty grievance. Donald Trump took an oath to the Constitution and to the American people but has absolutely no idea what that means. Our president nominates incompetent cabinet secretaries based solely on their loyalty to him, he disparages the rule of law by pardoning the January 6th insurrectionists, he insults our allies, panders to our adversaries, lies about who started the war in Ukraine, and grants an unelected South African the power to decimate government agencies and steal sensitive information about ordinary American citizens. All while the Republican controlled House and Senate do nothing. Day has become night. Our national soul lives in darkness.

We need to remember why we’re here. Put yourself in the shoes of Ukraine’s warriors. Men and women who, for love of country, left their homes, taken up arms, and given their lives to hold off an onslaught of Russian and North Korean troops. Allow yourself to think about what kind of courage it takes to stand up for what is right — to defend democracy. Then maybe, just maybe you’ll feel like an American again.

State-by-state Report by Democrats Projects Millions of People Could Lose Medicaid Coverage - Bucks County Beacon

2025-03-12T16:24:55.000Z

WASHINGTON — A report released Thursday by Democrats details how many people in each state would lose access to Medicaid if Republicans in Congress were to cut the program by one-third — a scenario some GOP lawmakers have floated as an option to help pay for tax cuts, though one so sweeping it would struggle to get the votes needed to become law.

The Joint Economic Committee – Minority report, shared first with States Newsroom, projects that 25 million people throughout the country would lose access to Medicaid if Republicans were to enact a law cutting funding to the health care program for lower income Americans by one-third.

Among them, 3 million would be rural residents and 10 million would be children. Additionally, 1 in 5 seniors could lose Medicaid coverage of their nursing home care, according to the report.

The state-by-state breakdown in the JEC report shows that California, Florida, Illinois, New York and Texas would have the highest numbers of residents harmed by the potential cuts. Each of those states could have more than 1 million residents potentially kicked off the program.

The Joint Economic Committee includes members of both chambers of Congress and both political parties. It’s designed “to review economic conditions and to recommend improvements in economic policy,” according to its website.

New Hampshire Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan, ranking member on the Joint Economic Committee, said in a statement that House Republicans’ plans “could take health care away from up to 25 million Americans.”

“This new Joint Economic Committee analysis sheds light on the number of people who could lose health care coverage because of President Trump and Congressional Republicans — and the devastating impacts that their budget could have specifically on the ability of children, seniors, and people living in rural areas across the country to access health care,” Hassan said.

$880 billion in spending cuts

Republicans in Congress are trying to figure out how to pass several of their core policy goals, including extending the 2017 tax law, through the budget reconciliation process.

The House approved a budget resolution in late February that would clear the way for lawmakers to increase the deficit by as much as $4.5 trillion to accomplish their tax goals. But that budget resolution also proposes several committees find savings, including the Energy and Commerce Committee.

That panel, tasked with finding at least $880 billion in spending cuts, oversees several federal programs, including Medicare and Medicaid.

Republicans and President Donald Trump have been clear they will not be touching the Medicare program, which provides health insurance for retired Americans and some people with disabilities.

READ: Donald Trump and Elon Musk Are the Greatest Threat to Social Security in Its 90-Year History

But GOP lawmakers are debating how exactly to find savings in the Medicaid program, though they could face intense blowback given how many of their own voters rely on the program for health care. Medicaid is a joint federal-state program that helps cover medical costs for some people with limited incomes.

Republicans in Congress cannot actually advance a reconciliation bill until after the House and Senate agree to adopt the same budget resolution, which has yet to happen.

Senate two-bill plan

The Senate voted in mid-February to approve its own budget resolution that proposes a two-bill strategy for enacting Republican campaign promises.

Under the Senate budget resolution, which House leaders have vowed not to take up, Congress would first pass a bill to boost defense and border security spending by hundreds of billions of dollars as well as remaking the country’s energy policy.

The Senate strategy would then have Congress adopt a second budget resolution later this year, setting up a pathway for Republicans to extend the 2017 tax law.

The Senate is expected to take up the House’s budget resolution at some point and make changes to the document, though when exactly they’ll do that is an open-ended question. The budget resolution would then have to go back to the House for final approval.

CBO report

The Joint Economic Committee – Minority report made public Thursday came out just one day after the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released a letter detailing how much federal funding the House Energy and Commerce Committee oversees.

CBO Director Phillip L. Swagel wrote that the letter was in response to a request from House Budget Committee ranking member Brendan F. Boyle, D-Pa., and Energy and Commerce Committee ranking member Frank Pallone, D-N.J.

READ: Nearly 1 in 3 Families with Children in Bucks County Are Struggling Economically, Says New Report

The Energy and Commerce Committee, Swagel wrote, oversees $8.8 trillion in spending over the 10-year budget window when Medicare spending is excluded, which is what Boyle and Pallone requested.

Of that total, $8.2 trillion, or 93%, goes toward Medicaid, Swagel wrote.

The Energy and Commerce Committee, which House Republicans expect to find at least $880 billion in spending cuts, oversees just $381 billion over the 10‑year budget window that doesn’t go toward Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP.

Those CBO numbers would indicate that if Republicans stick to the goals in the House budget resolution, which very well could change in the Senate, they would likely have to cut hundreds of billions of dollars from Medicaid.

This article was originally published at Stateline. Stateline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: info@stateline.org. Follow Stateline on Facebook and X.

Who’s Running For Statewide Court? - PoliticsPA

2025-03-12T16:08:42.000Z

The spotlight of the nation is focused again on Pennsylvania, this time for its retention elections for three of its seven judges on the state’s Supreme Court.

Democrats hold a 5-2 majority on PA’s highest judicial body, but three justices – Christine L. Donahue, Kevin M. Dougherty, and David N. Wecht – have completed their initial 10-year terms and are subject to a “retention” vote. The trio each received over 1 million votes in the 2015 election, defeating their GOP opponents by more than 150,000 votes.

Republicans are optimistic following their 2024 successes in winning the state’s presidential electors for President Donald Trump, as well as flipping a U.S. Senate seat for Sen. Dave McCormick.

“We want to capitalize on the momentum that we have created in Pennsylvania,” said Scott Presler, who leads a Republican voter-registration and get-out-the-vote group called Early Vote Action. Donald Trump’s win in the state shows that “we’re winners,” he said. “I think you’re going to see the Republican Party, even nationally, getting more involved in those state [Supreme Court] races.

“My ultimate goal is to have the voters of Pennsylvania elect three Republican justices,” said Presler, whose ongoing voter-registration effort is helping chip away at a Democratic registration advantage.

Democrats say they are preparing for the fight.

“I really believe the retention races are going to dominate attention in the election cycle next year,” said Mitch Kates, the executive director of the state Democratic Party. From the GOP side, he said, “I can imagine they will create boogeymen and do all that awful stuff. They’ll say it’s a hyperpartisan court, but this court has ruled in the fairest of all ways.”

Since 1968, when the state’s constitution was last updated, voters have rejected only one appellate judge’s reelection bid, coming in 2005. Former state Supreme Court Justice Russell Nigro was not retained, primarily due to voters’ frustration with state lawmakers’ vote to increase their own salaries and those of judges. He was ousted by less than 30,000 votes.

If a judge loses their retention race, a special election is held to replace them in the next odd year (2027). The governor can appoint a replacement in the interim, but two-thirds of the state Senate must approve the choice.

When first selected for full terms of office, justices of the Supreme Court, judges of the statewide Superior and Commonwealth courts and judges of country Common Pleas courts run as a member of a political party.

The merit retention provision of Pennsylvania’s constitution allows all but magisterial district judges to be retained with a simple “yes” or “no” vote without ballot reference to political affiliation. This provision was designed to remove judges from the pressures of the political arena once they begin their first term of office.

Retention votes are conducted during the November municipal elections in odd-numbered years.

After serving initial 10-year terms, those jurists who seek reelection do so through “retention elections” in which they are not affiliated with any political party. Retention is a nonpolitical method of reelecting Pennsylvania judges and is intended to be politically neutral as they do not require judges to engage in campaigning against other candidates.

Retention is specifically designed to keep judges out of the political fray while at the same time holding them accountable to the voters based on their overall records and performance in office. The intent is to provide a fair and nonpartisan way for the public to judge its judges.

In retention elections, judicial candidates do not participate in spring primary elections. Their names appear on the ballot only in November general elections. Voters are asked to vote “yes” or “no” on whether to reelect each judge seeking retention. The names of the candidates are listed on a separate area of the ballot, apart from individuals running for executive and legislative offices. No political affiliation is listed for retention candidates.

Here is a list of candidates for retention and for vacancies on Pennsylvania’s courts.

Supreme Court (retention)

Christine L. Donohue, Pittsburgh (D)
Kevin M. Dougherty, Philadelphia (D)
David N. Wecht, Allegheny County (D)

Dating to 1684, the Supreme Court is the highest court in the Commonwealth and the oldest appellate court in the nation. Most often, but not exclusively, the Court reviews requests for discretionary appeals from the Commonwealth Court and Superior Court; Direct Appeals from a lower court’s decision, including when a sentence of death is issued; Requests to intervene in a lower court’s proceedings; Requests to deliver a body from illegal detention. There are seven judges on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

Superior Court (retention)

Alice B. Dubow, Philadelphia (D)

Superior Court (1 vacancy)

Maria Battista, Clarion County (R)
Brandon P. Neuman, Washington County (D)
Ann Marie Wheatcraft, Chester County (R)

The Superior Court was established in 1895. It is one of Pennsylvania’s two statewide intermediate appellate courts. The Superior Court is often the final arbiter of legal disputes. Responsible for appeals in criminal and most civil cases from the Courts of Common Pleas; Appeals on matters involving children and families. There are 15 judges on the Pennsylvania Superior Court.

Commonwealth Court (retention)

Michael H. Wojcik, Allegheny County (D)

Commonwealth Court (1 vacancy)

Joshua Prince, Berks County (R)
Stella Tsai, Philadelphia (D)
Matthew Wolford, Erie (R)

The Commonwealth Court was established in 1968 and is unique to Pennsylvania. It is one of Pennsylvania’s two statewide intermediate appellate courts. The Commonwealth Court is primarily responsible for matters involving state and local governments and regulatory agencies. It also acts as a trial court when lawsuits are filed by or against the Commonwealth. Responsible for original civil actions brought by and against the Commonwealth; Appeals from decisions made by state agencies and the Courts of Common Pleas. There are nine judges on the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court.

PoliticsPA Playbook: Education Dept. Cuts Staff in Half - PoliticsPA

2025-03-12T12:23:32.000Z

Welcome to Wednesday

The PoliticsPA Playbook is compiled by Steve Ulrich. To read in your browser, click here. Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe for free.

Your Morning Pick-Me-Up. If You Love Somebody, Set Them Free, Sting

PA Weather
Girard | Partly Sunny, 44
Glen Rock | Decreasing Clouds, 59
Green Lane | Mostly Cloudy, 56

What We’re Seeing. “Protect Our Care is launching new ads featuring a lifelong Republican voter and Trump and MAGA supporter who is a certified nurse practitioner who is against any cuts to Medicaid. The new $2 million ad buy targets 10 House Republicans, including Reps. Ryan Mackenzie (PA-07) and Rob Bresnahan (PA-08), and will run on television, radio, and digital platforms.”

Happy Birthday. Cake and candles for Sen. Wayne Fontana.

Social Media. Join us on Twitter and Bluesky at @PoliticsPA

Top Story

1. Education Department Lays Off Nearly Half of Staff

“The Education Department laid off “nearly 50 percent” of its more than 4,100 employees Tuesday evening, according to four sources inside the agency who were told about the plans and an agency news release.

Congressional Democrats quickly condemned the massive personnel cuts – the largest in the department’s history – while Republicans and conservative groups said they were long overdue. The union representing department staffers pledged to fight the reductions.

It’s not yet clear what specific departments or positions were affected.” (Inside Higher Ed)

Elsewhere

Three Things That Usually Happen in Midterms. “The 2026 midterm is still more than a year and a half away. Yet there are a few things we can already predict about it with at least a reasonable amount of confidence.” (Sabato’s Crystal Ball)

Sen. Dave McCormick Introduces First Bill to Fight Fentanyl Trafficking. “The bill, cosponsored by Democratic Sens. John Fetterman and Chris Coons, would designate a centralized group made up of representatives from a dozen government agencies to jointly “disrupt trafficking networks, enforce sanctions,” and address China’s role in the opioid crisis.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Congressional Panel Debates the Future of School Choice Programs, Vouchers. “As school choice continues to take heat across the country, the debate surrounding these programs came to the forefront Tuesday at a hearing in a U.S. House education panel.” (Penn Capital-Star)

Lawmaker Proposes a Moratorium On New Cyber Charter Schools. (The Keystone)

Four With Pennsylvania Ties Nominated For Federal Positions. “The White House sent nominations to the U.S. Senate to fill open positions on Tuesday, including four nominees with ties to the Keystone State.” (PoliticsPA)

Perry Co-Sponsors Bill to Abolish the Federal Reserve. “A bill in the U.S. House to repeal the 112-year-old Federal Reserve Act and abolish the nation’s central bank has attracted several co-sponsors, including York County Republican Rep. Scott Perry.” (PennLive)

State

2. PA’s Fiscal Office In Crosshairs Amid Debate Over Accuracy of Shapiro’s Budget Numbers

“Are Josh Shapiro’s revenue projections full of a certain substance that starts with the letter “s” and which the governor often references in his favorite slogan, the G-rated version of which is “get stuff done”?

As suggested by the last several weeks of state budget hearings, the answer to this most likely depends on your party affiliation.” (PennLive)

Elsewhere

Shapiro Calls For PA Lawmakers to Act On His Energy Proposals. “In a massive manufacturing facility in York County on Tuesday, Gov. Josh Shapiro said Democratic lawmakers would soon file bills seeking to launch his six-part energy plan intended to address rising prices, increasing demand and diminished supply.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Shapiro’s Office Deleted Emails Relevant to Sexual Misconduct Complaint. “The Shapiro administration’s handling of a sexual misconduct complaint against a cabinet member, and one reporter’s request to know more about the investigation behind it, may cost taxpayers a lot of money.” (The Center Square)

U.S. Agency Has Stopped Supporting States on Election Security, Official Confirms. “The federal government has halted election security activities and ended funding for the system that alerts state officials of election security threats across state lines, a representative of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency told state election officials last week.” (PoliticsPA)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Extra Funding For 100s of PA Districts In Question. See If Yours Could Be Affected

“Top Republican lawmakers who can make or break a budget deal appear skeptical about sending roughly half a million dollars to some Pennsylvania school districts this year as part of an effort to close the “adequacy gap.”

“Fairness is in the eye of the beholder,” Sen. Joe Pittman said during a February budget hearing with the state Department of Education. “And frankly, I think the more we review this adequacy funding formula and the way it treats all the school districts, that there is inherent unfairness within this formula.”” (Spotlight PA)

Elsewhere

Cognetti Faces Crowded Field In Bid For Reelection As Scranton Mayor. “Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti faces multiple potential challengers in her bid for re-election this year, but only one of them is from her own party. In a surprise twist, former Scranton Councilman Gene Barrett switched to independent Tuesday, leaving Democrat Cognetti with only one primary election opponent.” (WVIA)

Kelly Hasn’t Held An In-Person Town Hall in Erie in Years. Citizens Seek Answers. “When it comes to U.S. House Republicans opting out of in-person town halls, as they’ve been urged to do recently by GOP leaders, Rep. Mike Kelly has been ahead of the curve.” (Erie Times-News)

Josh Parsons Absent From Forum With PA Senate Special Election Candidates James Andrew Malone, Zachary Moore. “Parsons, a Lancaster County commissioner, did not respond to repeated invitations from the League of Women Voters of Lancaster County, organizers said. An empty chair with a name tag for Parsons sat next to Malone and Moore for the entirety of the forum.” (LNP)

Parker Is Asking Philly’s ‘Eds and Meds’ to Help Fill Holes In the City Budget, Sources Say. “Mayor Cherelle L. Parker last month convened representatives from Philadelphia’s major educational and medical institutions with a simple message: The city needs your help.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Editorial

4. Speak Your Mind

How Do You Like The Trade War Now? (Wall Street Journal)
Why Trump’s Tariffs Won’t Work. (Ezra Klein)
Health Insurers Deny Too Many Claims. The State Should Step In. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Nippon Steel Should Be Allowed to Buy U.S. Steel. (James K. Glassman)
Pennsylvania Democrats Don’t Need National Direction. Look Local. (Bucks County Beacon)
With Disinformation On the Rise, Open Government Laws Are a Vital Way to Preserve the Public’s Access to the Truth. (Michael Berry)
It’s Time For White Male Leaders to Open Their Eyes—And Open Doors. (Yolanda Edrington and George Fernandez)
We Don’t Need to Break the Bank to Fix Our Education Crisis. (Beth Ann Rosica)

1 Thing

5. At Southwest Airlines, Checked Bags Will No Longer Fly For Free

“Southwest Airlines will begin charging customers a fee to check bags, abandoning a decades-long practice that executives had described last fall as key to differentiating the budget carrier from its rivals.

Southwest, which built years of advertising campaigns around its policy of letting passengers check up to two bags for free, said Tuesday that people who haven’t either reached the upper tiers of its Rapid Rewards loyalty program, bought a business class ticket or hold the airline’s credit card will have to pay for checked bags.” (AP)

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And reading the PoliticsPA Playbook

How Will Federal Funding Uncertainty Tied to Trump’s Anti-DEI Crusade Impact Higher Education in Bucks County? - Bucks County Beacon

2025-03-12T12:17:40.000Z

Fair and unbiased treatment – for all human beings – is the beating heart of diversity, equity and inclusion practices.

A rash of presidential executive orders signed by Donald Trump since his January 20th inauguration included one ordering the removal of DEI language and programs from federal agencies and federal contracting. This left many colleges and universities across the country scrambling, as The New York Times reported last month, with some universities “scrubbing websites and canceling events to comply with executive orders.”

“When we roll back DEI efforts, we risk weakening the very foundation of progress, creativity and excellence that our communities and institutions thrive on,” said Adrienne King, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Bucks County Chapter.

Colleges and universities who accept federal funding “to provide goods or services or when [it] is a subcontractor under a federal contract” risk being out of compliance with Trump’s new order targeting DEI practices, said Kevin LaVigne Antoine, a New Jersey resident and longtime educator.

Antoine recently retired from his position at Bucks County Community College in Newtown as associate vice president for student and veteran affairs and chief diversity officer.

“Simply receiving federal grants, or funding like Pell Grants, does not make the college a government contractor,” he explained.

READ: Dismantling DEI Is About ‘Making America White Again’

Founded in 1900, The Association of American Universities outlines in its report, “the Role of Federal Funding” how the government supports research and development at higher education institutions nationwide.

Bucks County Community College declined an interview and provided the U.S. Department of Education letter with respect to current discrimination laws.

An email request for comment by Daniel J. Kanak, BCCC vice president of marketing & communications said BCCC’s position based on the following:

The Dear Colleague letter of February 14, 2025, reminds colleges and universities that it is illegal to discriminate against students based on race, specifically addressing the prohibition of using race as a deciding factor to either withhold or provide resources and support to students. We at Bucks County Community College have not discriminated against students in the past, nor will we in the future.

As directed, the College’s leadership has been reviewing institutional policies and procedures to ensure compliance with the guidance provided in that letter.

The mission of Bucks County Community College remains unchanged. Since 1964, when the College was founded, we have been honored to serve residents from all walks of life with educational programs to help them pursue their goals and improve their lives. We remain steadfast in meeting the educational and training needs of residents from every community of the County.

Efforts to reach Delaware Valley University, a private university in Doylestown Township offering several undergraduate degrees, 12 master degrees, and one doctoral program, as well as adult education classes, were unsuccessful.

While the executive order claims to “protect civil rights” many are concerned that by its design the order will shut out those who exist in marginalized communities and create hostile environments counterproductive to effective hiring, employment and fair treatment applicants and employees.

Modern DEI initiatives are rooted in the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which made “discrimination in public facilities and federally funded programs illegal,” Antoine said.

Presidential executive orders are not the law of the land, according to King, and they often overturned by newly elected administrations.

“It [Order 13985] still has to go through legal and legislative processes before it can be fully enforced. There will likely be legal challenges and ongoing debate, so this is not the end of the story,” King said.

She added DEI practices should never be “a box to check” but rather a way to lead and hire; create safe and inclusive spaces and ensure all voices are valued.

“The organizations that are quick to roll back DEI efforts in the face of this executive order are showing us something important: they were never truly committed to the journey,” King said.

She said without a strong DEI commitment many colleges and universities may struggle to attract and retain those with a wide range of top talents – including students and faculty members.

“I am absolutely concerned about the recent executive order and its potential impact on the talent pool in Bucks County — and beyond. Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices are not just about fairness — they’re about cultivating innovation, expanding perspectives and ensuring that opportunities are accessible to everyone,” King said.

READ: A New Era of Leadership for Bucks County’s NAACP Begins: Adrienne King’s Vision for Equity and Unity

Antoine, who served in his BCCC role from 2020 to this retirement in February 2025, said further examination of Trump’s order, which claims the Biden Administration “forced unlawful practices,” has no data to support the assertion.

“Just like with election fraud they will have to produce evidence” of the assertion, he said.

Antoine said The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is based on the Commerce Clause of the Constitution – not the 14th Amendment – though the two are complimentary.

All of the programs – from Affirmative Action to the Civil Rights Act and DEI programs have power that “comes from the Commerce Clause, which allows the government to go after discrimination,” he said.

Antoine said it could be argued federal contractors – including colleges and universities – will have to comply with the Commerce Clause and the 14th Amendment.

He said any college or university programs at risk of losing federal funding will have an evaluation or audit process first based on Title IX. Once notified, they will be shown where an audit claims actions are “out of compliance” and then given time to make remedies.

“From there a decision is made whether or not a violation was made and at that point a remedy would be stated. And it would be only directed at the specific department” not the entire college or university, Antoine said.

“I’ve been in higher education for 25 years, and I cannot think of an instance where a college lost all its federal funding. There is no carte blanche to pull an entire school’s funding,” he said.

Quakers call on Pennsylvanians to Make America Love Again - Pennsylvania Capital-Star

2025-03-12T10:00:36.000Z

William Penn Statue atop of City Hall in Philadelphia. (Getty Images)

By Christopher Fee

I belong to a tiny Quaker Meeting in the rolling hills of South Central Pennsylvania just north of Gettysburg. Our meeting house is surrounded by acres upon acres of apple orchards, and our community is an agricultural one. While no place is perfect, there is plenty here to love, and not least amongst all that I love here are our hardworking and helpful neighbors, many of whom are now terrified that they might be deported or might lose their birthright citizenship. Some may even fear “to send their children to school.”

Our bucolic existence has been rocked to its very core by policies generated just a hundred miles away in the White House. These policies have little foundation in knowledge of who produces the food in this country, what the realities of immigration today entail, or of who and what actually Made America Great in the first place.

According to the American Immigration Council, immigrants, both documented and undocumented, are estimated to make up around 9.7% of the state’s total workforce, according to 2022 data. The immigration advocacy group says Pennsylvania is home to an estimated 155,000 undocumented migrants, with some 30,000 of them approximately working in the state’s agricultural sector, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.

Moreover, the policies and practices of the current administration fly in the face of the history of my religious community, which is based upon universal love, speaking truth at all costs and acting with integrity. Quakers, or the Religious Society of Friends, founded the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, but we form a tiny minority here or anywhere. Few we may be, but “right is right, even if everyone is against it,” as William Penn is reported to have said.

Traditional Quaker values may seem quaint to some, but all Pennsylvanians should recognize that our commonwealth was founded upon them.

Working with other Faith traditions, Quakers have filed suit against a change in ICE procedures that would allow the agency to enact immigration raids in our Houses of Worship, and a judge has recently blocked this change of policy. The administration’s new policy, if allowed to stand, would violate three core aspects of our beliefs. These include treating all who enter a meeting house as equal in the eyes of God; following the leadings of our faith and and practice by offering sanctuary and sustenance to the persecuted and oppressed without question; and forbidding weapons in a space dedicated to peace and love.

Quakers have long been at the forefront of social movements against slavery, for equal rights and against hatred and violence. These are not simply political positions for practicing Quakers, however. These are core spiritual tenets that lie at the heart of our faith community, of our individual identities as Quakers, and of our ability to see that of God in each and every one of our neighbors, regardless of any other factors.

Radical love is fundamental to Quaker faith and practice. George Fox, the founder of Quakerism, taught us to “walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in every one.”

Quakers therefore must endeavor to love all, even those with whom we disagree, and even those who might be incited to hateful speech or acts by these very words. Quakers have always been most especially concerned, however, with showering love upon those who, in the terms of Matthew 25:35-36, lack food, drink, or shelter, or who are ill or imprisoned. Moreover, we very much take to heart the lesson of Leviticus 19:33-34 regarding accepting immigrants. Quakers especially embrace the notion that no one is “foreign” to us, for, in the words of early Quaker and ardent abolitionist John Woolman, “God’s love is universal.”

Furthermore, it is a crucial tenet of Quakerism to speak truth, and notably in the current context where hatred against our neighbors is being stoked by fear, especially as “significant numbers of Americans believe false and misleading claims about immigration — particularly those who get their news from Fox and conservative outlets.”

In this regard, we especially must speak truth to power, confronting courageously and in plain words those in authority who cultivate and nurture harmful misconceptions. As Bayard Rustin, “a Black Quaker and the principal organizer of the March on Washington,” put it in 1942, “the primary social function of the religious society of friends is to ‘speak the truth to power.’” When it comes to immigration, at best “the White House’s data use is misleading.” At worst, it stokes hate and rationalizes aggressive and unnecessary policies.

The world can seem a terrifying and hate-filled place, but that is no excuse to wreak terror and spew vitriol. Quakers don’t teach our children not to feel grief and sorrow at all the terrible things going on in the world; rather, we expect them to step up to such challenges and to try to alleviate them. Such active love is our entire reason for being. Quakers see our mission precisely as the imperative to provide protection and relief to the most vulnerable at the worst moments of conflict and despair. We are committed to continuing this work. We invite all Pennsylvanians to join us in our task of Making America Love Again by repudiating hate and offering love, seeing that of God where some might see only reflections of their own worst fears.

Christopher Fee

Christopher Fee is a member and former clerk of Menallen Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and currently serves as co-clerk of the Northeast Regional Group of the American Friends Service Committee. Fee is also the Graeff Professor of English at Gettysburg College, where he is a member of the Eisenhower Institute Campus Advisory Council.

Extra funding for 100s of Pa. districts in question. See if yours could be affected. - Spotlight PA

2025-03-12T08:00:00.000Z

HARRISBURG — Top Republican lawmakers who can make or break a budget deal appear skeptical about sending roughly half a million dollars to some Pennsylvania school districts this year as part of an effort to close the “adequacy gap.”

In his latest budget proposal, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro proposed sending an additional $494 million to schools deemed chronically underfunded and another $32 million to districts with high property tax burdens.

Those numbers match what the Democratic-controlled state House and GOP-controlled Senate appropriated for those purposes as part of last year’s budget.

Despite that previous agreement, state Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R., Indiana) recently questioned the fairness of giving additional funding to 348 of Pennsylvania’s 500 districts.

“Fairness is in the eye of the beholder,” Pittman said during a February budget hearing with the state Department of Education. “And frankly, I think the more we review this adequacy funding formula and the way it treats all the school districts, that there is inherent unfairness within this formula.”

In 2023, Commonwealth Court ruled that Pennsylvania’s spending on public education was inequitable — so much so that it violated the state constitution. Specifically, the judge found that schools in poorer districts, which don’t have the resources to raise as much money through property taxes, weren’t serving students well enough.

That suit was brought against the state by a group of parents, administrators, and advocacy groups.

For much of 2023 and 2024, lawmakers held hearings and negotiated on how exactly to quantify the funding shortfall.

A commission convened to study the issue eventually came up with the concept of an “adequacy target” — the bar at which a district can serve students at an acceptable level.

This measure sets a baseline of per-student spending, then adds in additional spending based on a district’s student body and factors like poverty and level of English proficiency. If a district spends less than the resulting number, it is missing its adequacy target and has an “adequacy gap,” the report said.

Republicans did not vote in favor of the report that created the adequacy target, Pittman noted during the budget hearing last month. He added that the Commonwealth Court ruling didn’t direct the governor and legislature to set aside an amount of money or prescribe a specific remedy.

“We’re not talking about outcomes,” Pittman said. “We're putting more dollars into an educational system that's educating fewer students.”

Carrie Rowe, acting secretary of education, emphasized at the hearing that the adequacy formula was “determined by the legislature” and is “doing exactly what it was designed to do.

“I think that to drive money to schools that need it the most, based on the adequacy funding formula, does not mean that schools that aren't receiving it don't need funding and wouldn't benefit from increased funding,” Rowe said. “It simply means that those that are receiving the adequacy supplement are doing so because they are deemed to have been underfunded … for a long period of time.”

Rowe said recipients of adequacy funding have used it to provide full-day kindergarten, add security features, improve curriculums, and hire counselors. She also noted that 115 of the state’s 168 rural districts have received some of this money.

Public education advocates viewed last year’s investment of nearly $500 million as a down payment on closing a $4.5 billion gap. But even annual investment at that level will address the disparity too slowly, they say, and those involved in the funding lawsuit have warned that additional legal action is possible.

Shapiro and the legislature must agree to a budget deal before the June 30 deadline.

Free Newsletter: Sign up for a free roundup of the top news from across Pennsylvania, all in one daily or weekly email from Spotlight PA.

For schools statewide, Shapiro’s budget pitches an additional $75 million for basic education and another $40 million for special education — much smaller increases than seen in recent years.

State Sen. Lindsey Williams (D., Allegheny) said during the hearing she is concerned many of her districts will get very little additional money despite rising costs. The same report that proposed adequacy gap spending also called for at least $200 million in new basic education funding annually.

The Shapiro administration endorsed that report, she noted.

If the state doesn’t fund adequacy supplements, basic education, special education, and more at a “sufficient level,” Williams said, “we will be back in court but with different school districts.”

Spotlight PA’s Katie Meyer contributed.

Suit claims Pa. Human Relations Commission’s LGBTQ+ protections are unconstitutional - Pennsylvania Capital-Star

2025-03-11T23:51:04.000Z

An LGBTQ+ pride flag.

Two school districts and a group of parents are suing the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission over its expansion of the prohibition on sex discrimination to include LGBTQ+ people.

The lawsuit was filed last week in Commonwealth Court by the Thomas More Society, a conservative Catholic public interest law firm. It alleges the PHRC violated the state constitution when it “created a heretofore unimagined meaning of ‘sex’ within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”

The commission, which enforces state laws against discrimination, announced new regulations in June 2023 under the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act (PHRA) and the Pennsylvania Fair Educational Opportunities Act (PFEOA). The regulations clarified the definition of “sex” to include “sex assigned at birth, gender identity or expression, differences in sex development and affectional or sexual orientation,” consistent with the broad definitions used by federal and state courts.

“Gov. Josh Shapiro’s and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission’s radical redefinition of ‘sex’ undermines our state constitution, parental rights, and the fair and equal treatment of every Pennsylvanian — male or female,” Thomas More Society attorney Tom King of Butler, said in a statement. “This regulatory redefinition of reality is a blatant example of government bureaucrats overstepping their authority to push gender ideology.”

A spokesperson for the PHRC said the agency was referring requests for comment to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office.

GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.

At an event touting his energy plan Wednesday, Shapiro responded to a question, saying had not read the lawsuit but believes it is his responsibility as governor to carry on the vision of William Penn to make Pennsylvania “a place that would be warm and welcoming for all people.”

“I understand that there are those who want to try and score cheap political points by bullying a trans kid or making it harder for someone to marry who they love,” Shapiro said. “That’s just not where I am, and that’s certainly not where I think the vast majority of Pennsylvanians are. The people I meet every day are people who are welcoming, people who are tolerant, and I think we need to continue to be welcoming and tolerant here in this Commonwealth.”

At least 24 states and dozens of cities and other municipalities across the United States have extended anti discrimination laws to protect LGBTQ+ people.

In May 2023, the state House passed House Bill 300, which would have statutorily included LGBTQ+ people as a protected class under the Human Relations Act. The measure, which had bipartisan support in the chamber, was never considered in the state Senate.

The legislation, called the Fairness Act, was first introduced in 2001 by Rep. Dan Frankel (D-Allegheny), but only passed in the House 22 years later, after Democrats won a one-vote majority.

After the House returned to session this past January, the House LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus responded to an executive order by President Donald Trump recognizing only male and female sexes, saying “the ground has shifted under the feet of transgender people in the wake of President Donald Trump’s executive orders and speeches, which denied their very existence.”

“These actions are hateful, ignorant, and dangerous—they threaten to unravel decades of progress our society has made toward fairness and equality,” the caucus, chaired by Rep. Jessica Benham (D-Allegheny), said in a statement. “Gender identity and expression cannot be delegitimized by the stroke of a pen. Attempts to do so are shameful.”

The caucus said its members would pursue and exhaust all legislative avenues “through the Fairness Act and beyond” to safeguard transgender people in Pennsylvania.

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit include the South Side Area and Knoch school districts in Beaver County and the parents of children enrolled in public schools in Chester, Delaware, Lawrence and Montgomery counties. Rep. Barbara Gleim (R-Cumberland) is also a plaintiff.

GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.

The suit notes that while the state constitution permits the legislature to delegate the authority to administer and execute laws, the “basic policy choices” and standards to guide and restrain administration of laws must be established by the legislature. The plaintiffs claim the legislature did not give the PHRC authority to expand the definition of “sex” or “gender.”

It also claims the PHRC regulations conflict with a recent state Supreme Court decision that referred to a 1968 Random House Dictionary definition of “sex” based on reproductive functions and physical characteristics. In that decision, the court declared the state’s ban on Medicaid-funded abortions “presumptively unconstitutional.”

The PHRC’s regulations usurp the legislature’s authority, the suit claims, under the Public School Code. Under it, school boards have the power to regulate their schools and student activities. However, under the PHRC regulations, school boards that choose to divide school rest rooms, sports and other activities by male and female genders are engaging in prohibited discrimination, the suit says.

Pa. businesses and customers are feeling pressure from rising egg prices - Pennsylvania Capital-Star

2025-03-11T20:05:53.000Z

Scott Petersen, dairy manager at Dutch-Way Farm Market in Ephrata Township, Lancaster County, stocks the egg display at the grocery store on Monday, March 3, 2025. (Rachel McDevitt/WITF).

This story was originally published by the Harrisburg-based public media organization WITF.

Two pastors sitting in a sunny window booth were contemplating a serious question: eggs or no eggs?

Angelo Rodriguez and Wendell Yorkman met for breakfast on Monday at The Pancake Farm in Manheim Township, Lancaster County. On the front door, a sign told customers a $1.50 upcharge would be added to any egg dish, due to the high cost of eggs.

Yorkman was debating whether to get pancakes instead.

“But then I remembered, my friend was paying,” he said.

Rodriguez usually adds a third egg to his breakfasts, but this morning was weighing the upcharge. He recently went to pick up a few groceries for his daughter and looked at the price of a dozen eggs.

“It was $8.75 and I said, you know what? She’ll be all right,” he said.

One booth over, Robyn Weidner said she hasn’t been going out to breakfast as much because of price increases. Even at home, she’s eating less eggs. She was eating a lot of them as a source of protein while she’s in training for a half-marathon. Now she’s turning to other high-protein alternatives like oatmeal and chia seed pudding.

“I’m not going out and spending $7.99 on a dozen eggs, I can guarantee you that,” Weidner said. “I’m a single mom, so absolutely not, no way.”

Restaurants, bakeries and grocery stores are struggling with egg prices aggravated by inflation and the ongoing avian flu outbreak, which has cut into the nationwide egg supply. As businesses scramble to keep up with soaring costs, customers are left to decide if they are willing to spend extra for a breakfast staple and ingredient in many favorite recipes.

WHY SO HIGH?

The average price of one dozen eggs nationwide has nearly doubled, from $2.52 in January 2024 to $4.95 in January this year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

But that’s just an average. What Pennsylvanians are seeing can be much higher.

Avian flu is a factor. In January 2022, before the outbreak started, one dozen grade A, large eggs cost $1.93 on average, nationwide.

In its most recent egg markets overview report, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service said there are still inadequate egg supplies because of the ongoing avian flu outbreak, but there are signs the situation may be starting to improve. The USDA said the pace of the outbreak is slowing and the national egg inventory rose slightly at the end of February.

The USDA said bird flu outbreaks in commercial table egg layer flocks in the first two months of this year resulted in the death of 30.1 million birds, 74% of which lived in conventional caged systems and produce the most common eggs that hit grocery store shelves.

The USDA is planning to spend $1 billion to address avian flu, with a goal to egg prices down.

Pennsylvania egg production during January totaled 681.8 million, a 4% decrease from the same time last year, according to the USDA. The state’s population of layer chickens was 6% lower in January, compared to the previous year.

The egg and dairy aisle at Dutch-Way Farm Market in Ephrata Township, Lancaster County on Monday, March 3, 2025. (Rachel McDevitt/WITF)

Pennsylvania lost 1.9 million laying hens in Dauphin County and more than 85,000 in Lebanon County in early February.

Shannon Powers, press secretary for the state Department of Agriculture, said the Shapiro Administration is working to keep costs down for consumers through a Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Recovery Fund, which helps farmers increase biosecurity measures and recover losses.

She said the state’s investment in testing and a coordinated response to outbreaks also help farmers minimize the cost to their operations and protect against future harm.

Powers said Pennsylvania ranks fourth in the nation in egg production and first in organic egg production. Eggs and other poultry products fall among Pennsylvania’s largest exports, worth $155.6 million.

Many factors determine the cost of eggs, Powers said.

“Canada and Mexico are two of our largest trading partners. Any negative changes to international trade could impact poultry farmers and the price of eggs,” she said.

RESTAURANT OWNERS FEEL THE HEAT

The Pancake Farm owner Javier Camacho said prices are affecting his business. He said customer traffic is down around 25%.

Camacho decided to add the $1.50 upcharge to egg meals a few weeks ago to deal with volatile prices, which he said was a hard decision.

“Prices are changing every day,” Camacho said. “If we place an order today and a dozen is $8.25, tomorrow will be $8.75 a dozen.”

Camacho said the restaurant uses up to 190 dozen eggs per week.

He doesn’t want customers to think he’s using the eggs as an excuse to bring in more money; he said he has to think of his employees and business costs.

The upcharge doesn’t apply to every meal. The pancake batter contains eggs, but pancakes don’t get the upcharge because, Camacho said, “they are our main thing.”

A price increase on pancakes would be “devastating,” he said.

Not everyone at The Pancake Farm is concerned. Most diners still have plates of eggs in front of them.

“If I need eggs, I buy eggs,” said Nancy Sarley, who had just ordered poached eggs.

“I’m just happy to wake up in the morning, I’m not looking at dirt, I’m not worried about the price of eggs,” said David Sarley.

At Quarryville Family Restaurant, managing partner Andrew Morgan is torn on how to handle the price of eggs. The restaurant goes through 300 dozen of them per week.

He hasn’t changed prices in about 10 months, he said, because he doesn’t want to upset his customers. A meal of two eggs, home fries, toast and bottomless coffee is $5.50 at the restaurant.

“We have an awesome group of customers who are very loyal, who say, ‘you got to do what you got to do.’ But we also want to provide value for their hard-earned dollar,” Morgan said.

An old purchase order put the issue in stark perspective for Morgan. He said the order shows he paid $31.39 for 30 dozen eggs three years ago. Today he is paying $250.59 for the same amount.

“That’s a 700% increase,” he said.

Eggs on display at Dutch-Way Farm Market in Ephrata Township, Lancaster County on Monday, March 3, 2025. (Rachel McDevitt/WITF)

PRICE CHECK

While grocery shopping, customers have to decide how important eggs are to them.

At the Dutch-Way Farm Market in Ephrata Township, Lancaster County, Kami Miller put one dozen eggs in her cart.

“One dozen, that’s all I can afford,” she said, laughing.

Miller said, since she moved to Rothsville about a year and a half ago, she’s watched the price of a dozen eggs jump from $1.99 to $5.99.

She said she never really watched egg prices until now, and she’s been baking a lot less because of it.

Larry Kauffman of East Lampeter Township wasn’t bothered much by the price. He said he always keeps eggs in the house.

“I hate to see what they’ll be by Easter,” he said.

Frances Eberly of Lititz glanced over the egg display before pushing her cart away.

She said she had some eggs at home, so she didn’t need to buy more. Plus, she has a source outside the grocery store; a friend with chickens will sell her a dozen eggs for $3.

“I guess if I needed them, I would pay that price,” she said.

Eberly said eggs are in so many baked goods that she has cut back on baking because of the price.

Jordan Snader, a partner at Dutch-Way, said the market’s relationship with a local farm lets them keep a steady supply of eggs at a better price than some competitors. One dozen large white eggs were on sale for $5.99 as of Monday.

Snader said customers are changing their patterns as egg prices rise, but he said they generally understand that it’s a nationwide problem.

Some customers have turned to specialty eggs over commercial white eggs.

Dave Dietz, produce and dairy manager at Lemon Street Market in Lancaster city, said it’s been a little challenging to keep eggs in stock. He said egg sales are up 40%-50% over last year.

That’s likely because the market has high standards for eggs, Dietz said, usually offering pastured and organic varieties. Prices for specialty eggs haven’t jumped as dramatically as commercial white eggs.

For example, Eagle Road brand brown, large eggs from non-GMO fed, pastured hens are priced at $5.49 per dozen, the cheapest eggs at Lemon Street Market. Prices range up to $9.99 per dozen for Alderfer brand brown, jumbo, organic eggs.

BAKERIES RISE TO THE OCCASION

It’s one thing to skip eggs for breakfast. But eggs are a critical ingredient in many baked goods.

Laura Wu, co-owner of Hello Mango Asian Bakery in Manheim Township, said she can no longer afford eggs from the wholesale company she was working with. Now she’s hunting for eggs at Costco, Restaurant Depot, and farm markets.

It’s not just the price.

“It is also difficult to find more eggs,” Wu said. “Everywhere has limits.”

The bakery has had to raise prices by $2 for a 6-inch cake and $4 for an 8-inch cake.

Wu said she is hoping prices drop in the spring.

Erica Wolgemuth-Johnson is experimenting with using less eggs in some of her products at Erica Joy Bakes Gluten Free Creations in Lititz.

She has experience baking without eggs; her shop specializes in vegan treats.

“I was joking the other day that we’ll just go fully vegan,” Wolgemuth-Johnson said.

But she said there are egg-heavy recipes that she will keep, because she created the recipes, like her honey-almond-lavender cake.

She hasn’t raised prices so far, since gluten-free products are already a little more expensive and she doesn’t want to price people out.

Wolgemuth-Johnson is avoiding making egg-heavy bakes for the shop’s display case.

“I’m not going to make it just in the hopes someone comes in and buys it,” she said.

Four With Pennsylvania Ties Nominated For Federal Positions - PoliticsPA

2025-03-11T19:22:49.000Z

The White House sent nominations to the U.S. Senate to fill open positions on Tuesday, including four nominees with ties to the Keystone State.

Robert Gleason, of Pennsylvania, to be a Director of the Amtrak Board of Directors for a term of five years.
Jovan ‘John’ Jovanovic, of Pennsylvania, to be President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) for a term expiring January 20, 2029.
David Metcalf, of Pennsylvania, to be United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania for the term of four years.
Sean Plankey, of Pennsylvania, to be Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Department of Homeland Security.

Gleason serves as the Pennsylvania president of Arthur J. Gallagher and Company, a global insurance brokerage firm. He served as Secretary of the Commonwealth under Gov. Dick Thornburgh from 1985-87, while also serving terms with the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, the State Transportation Commission, and the Commission on Presidential Scholars.

A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, he served as chair of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania from June 2006 to February 2017 and was a member of the Republican National Committee’s budget committee. Prior to his role as party chair, Gleason served as chair of the Cambria County Republican Committee from 1996 to 2011.

Jovanovic, who graduated from Princeton and also has a MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, previously served in the first Trump administration. He was nominated as a chairman of EXIM in February by President Trump. The Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) is the nation’s official export credit agency with the mission of supporting American jobs by facilitating U.S. exports.

Metcalf presently serves as the interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, after serving as an assistant to the U.S. attorney from 2020-22. He was Chief of Staff to U.S. Attorney Timothy Shea in 2020 and served as a federal prosecutor from 2015 to 2019 in the District of Maryland. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Metcalf will oversee about 140 lawyers responsible for prosecuting a variety of federal cases across a nine-county region from Philadelphia to Allentown and west past Reading. He graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2012, after receiving his bachelor’s degree from Princeton University in 2008.

Plankey, the director of cyber policy from Trump’s first administration, was nominated to lead the agency charged with securing the nation’s critical infrastructure amid growing questions about its budget and workforce needs. He was the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response at the Energy Department. Plankey is a graduate of the Coast Guard Academy and holds a master’s of science from the University of Pennsylvania.

OPINION: Pennsylvania Democrats Don’t Need National Direction. Look Local. - Bucks County Beacon

2025-03-11T17:31:52.000Z

A lot of time and energy has been wasted over the last two months by very intelligent people wringing their hands and hoping that somebody, anybody will show up and give them direction. And it’s beyond time that my fellow Democrats remember that our national government is just one part of a very, very big party. If you look to the state and local level, we have talent, leadership, and accomplishments that we can be proud of. Issues we can run on, and win on.

Stop looking to the Potomac and Senator Schumer and look, instead, to the Susquehanna and Governor Shapiro. While the Republican Party has decided that up and down the ballot, from sea to shining sea, they want to be the party of chaos, Governor Shapiro has been consistent that PA Democrats are the party of good government. While the GOP is trying to spin manic chainsaw politics and mass layoffs of veterans as medicine for our country, State Representative Perry Warren is leading the charge to enshrine the Affordable Care Act’s protections in state law.

While Republicans are waging war on American jobs and industry with Schrödinger’s tariffs, our Bucks County state delegation of Sen. Santarsiero and Reps. Davis, Brennan, and Prokopiak are securing jobs for our county and investing in our freight rail infrastructure, ensuring that Bucks strengthens our history as a transportation hub and a region where we invest in industries vital to the strength of the United States. While Trump’s trade tantrums are undermining the financial security of blue collar families, our local leaders are doing the quiet work of good, stable governance.

In Washington, the Secretary of Agriculture is slashing staff (or some 20-something Silicon Valley interns are doing it for her, we’re not quite sure and the government isn’t really saying) while an outbreak of bird flu is spreading through the country. This agricultural and public health crisis is impacting nearly every state. It has sickened 165 million birds across the US and 970 herds of cattle across 17 states. While our federal government is on retreat on the issue, State Rep. Tim Brennan, Sen. Santarsiero, and Governor Shapiro are investing in a state-of-the-art poultry science center at Delaware Valley University.

On every issue where the Republican Party is in retreat, you can find Democrats at the state level taking leadership positions. While the national GOP is causing chaos, the state Democratic Party is, as Governor Shapiro says, getting shit done.

PHOTO ESSAY: Hundreds of Protesters Rally Against Donald Trump and Elon Musk in Doylestown on President’s Day

Let the GOP be the party who isn’t sure if we’re in a trade war or not. We’ll be the party creating economic opportunity zones at the former US Steel site. Let the GOP be the party whose healthcare policy is “the beginnings of a plan”. We’ll be the party securing your right to coverage on pre-existing conditions. Again. Let them be the party who fires poultry scientists in an epidemic. We’re the party who build laboratories and invests in science.

Leave the uncertainty and chaos to the national Republicans. Here, at the local and state level, the Democrats have a clear vision that we are executing on every day.

Do the work. Deliver for the people. Serve the Commonwealth.

It may not get us as many headlines as bullying allies in the Oval Office does, but it puts people to work and keeps them safe. And in the end, isn’t that REALLY what government is supposed to be doing?

Trump taps former Pa. GOP chair to serve on Amtrak board of directors - Pennsylvania Capital-Star

2025-03-11T17:31:35.000Z

Passengers board an Amtrak train at Harrisburg's station. (Capital-Star/Peter Hall)

President Donald Trump announced the nominations of several Pennsylvanians to serve in his administration, including the former head of the state’s Republican Party.

Rob Gleason, who was the chair of Pennsylvania’s Republican Party from 2006-2017, was named to the Amtrak Board of Directors. He would serve a five-year term. Gleason, a longtime resident of western Pennsylvania, has been an advocate for expanding rail service.

He led the Pennsylvania Republican Party during Trump’s successful first campaign for president in 2016 and supported the GOP nominee against Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. He was supposed to be part of an alternate slate of electors, as the former president attempted to overturn his loss to Joe Biden in 2020, but “refused to come to Harrisburg” to be a part of it, according to ABC27. Gleason was one of the 19 electors for Trump in 2024 after his second successful campaign for the presidency.

John Jovanovic, who previously led the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), was nominated to be President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States. He received a master’s degree in finance and management from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, the Serbian Times reports. He is the son-in-law of Dr. Mehmet Oz, the former Pennsylvania GOP candidate for U.S. Senate who Trump previously selected to serve as the administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Jovanovic’s term would expire Jan. 20, 2029, according to the White House.

David Metcalf was nominated to serve as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania for a term of four years. LNP | LancasterOnline reported on March 7 that Metcalf, who previously served as an assistant to the U.S. attorney in Pennsylvania’s Eastern District, was nominated to originally serve on an interim basis, following the departure of former U.S. Attorney Jacqueline Romero in February.

Sean Plankey was nominated to serve as the Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Department of Homeland Security. He has a Masters of Science, Computers and Information Technology from the University of Pennsylvania and a veteran of the Pennsylvania National Guard and U.S. Coast Guard.

Plankey served during Trump’s first administration as principal deputy assistant secretary of the Energy Department’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency response, and was reportedly considered to be nominated to this role back in January by POLITICO.