Bonner: Shapiro’s Spending Dream Would Be Pennsylvania’s Pricey Nightmare
HARRISBURG – Rep. Tim Bonner (R-Mercer/Butler) issued the following statement in response to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s $53.26 billion budget proposal for the 2026-27 fiscal year.
“The budget set forth by Gov. Josh Shapiro represents another reckless step towards fiscal disaster for Pennsylvania.
For three years, I have warned about the fiscal crisis facing the Commonwealth under Gov. Shapiro’s tenure. When he assumed office in 2023, our state had two reserve funds, the General Reserve Fund containing $8 billion and the Rainy Day Reserve Fund containing $7.5 billion.
The $8 billion General Reserve is already gone, spent on the governor’s ambition to satisfy special interests without cutting wasteful programs or exercising fiscal restraint.
Now, he plans to start draining the Rainy Day Fund, which is reserved for emergency needs, as his budget calls for $4.6 billion in spending from that account this year.
The plan Shapiro presented ignores fiscal responsibility and includes his wish list of special interest programs and projects.
We are left with a spend-all governor who has higher ambitions at the expense of Pennsylvania citizens.
We should now be prepared for a lengthy budget battle since the governor’s plan relies on draining our reserves and implementing speculative tax revenue sources from recreational marijuana and skilled games instead of responsible, sustainable tax.
The governor’s address is the beginning of the annual budgetary process. The budget will be thoroughly analyzed during three weeks of House Appropriations hearings beginning Feb. 23. For more information on the 2026-27 state budget, go to
PABudget.com.
Representative Tim Bonner
17th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Andrew Forgotch
717.772.9905
aforgotch@pahousegop.com
www.repbonner.com / Facebook.com/RepBonner