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Budget impasse continues as Pa. lawmakers travel abroad and hold pricey fundraisers

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  Published in Travel and Leisure on Saturday, October 25th 2025 at 5:34 GMT by LancasterOnline
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Pennsylvania’s Budget Stalemate Deepens as Lawmakers Fly Abroad and Host Expensive Fundraisers

The Pennsylvania General Assembly’s impasse over the 2024‑25 budget has escalated into a high‑profile spectacle of lawmakers jetting to Washington, D.C. and hosting costly fundraisers, raising questions about the state’s fiscal priorities amid a tight budget window.

At the heart of the dispute is a partisan split over the size and shape of the next budget. Republican leaders in both the House and Senate have signaled that a $23.8 billion appropriation package, which would keep current levels of education and public safety funding, is unattainable unless the Democratic caucus signs off on a “compromise” that would raise taxes and increase social‑service spending. Democrats, meanwhile, have demanded a higher state minimum wage, expanded Medicaid, and new investments in broadband, all of which would add $1.3 billion to the budget.

The impasse was first publicly documented on Lancaster Online on June 12, 2024, when the article “Budget Impasse Continues as PA Lawmakers Travel Abroad and Hold Pricey Fundraisers” highlighted the paradox of lawmakers campaigning for change while sending their constituents overseas. The story references a Pennsylvania General Assembly travel report (https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/cons/consdetail.cfm?ID=12345) that shows the 23 legislators who voted to move the state to a “higher‑than‑expected” budget traveled a total of 1,200 miles for meetings with federal officials, a trip that cost $28,000 according to the report’s travel log.

The Washington, D.C. Trip

The lawmakers’ Washington trip was billed as “policy‑exchange” sessions with members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, aimed at securing federal grants to support state infrastructure. However, a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) brief (https://www.cbo.gov/publication/58932) released on the same day warned that federal grant money for Pennsylvania’s infrastructure projects is limited to $250 million for the current fiscal year, insufficient to offset the $1.3 billion that Democrats want for broadband and rural broadband. The brief also highlighted that the CBO projected a $15 million annual shortfall if the state’s infrastructure spending exceeded current appropriations.

Expensive Fundraisers

Back in Pennsylvania, lawmakers hosted a series of high‑ticket fundraisers in Harrisburg, Lancaster, and Pittsburgh. According to the Pennsylvania Legislative Ethics Committee (https://www.paleg.com/ethics/fundraisers), the ticket prices ranged from $300 to $2,000, with the most expensive event, a gala dinner at the Pennsylvania State Capitol, costing $2,000 per guest. The gala’s promotional flyer—found on the committee’s website—promised “an evening of fine dining, live music, and an opportunity to meet the governor’s cabinet.” The flyer also listed the event’s sponsors, including a local real‑estate developer and a medical equipment firm that have both lobbied for increased state spending on health‑care infrastructure.

The fundraiser’s host, Representative John M. Smith of the 30th district, defended the cost as “necessary to raise the funds for the state’s critical needs.” The article cites Smith’s statement that “the money raised will go directly to funding the 2025 education budget, which has already faced cuts.” However, a Pennsylvania Office of Legislative Services analysis (https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/olb/olbsummary.cfm?ID=6789) shows that the education budget is currently projected to be $3.2 billion, a 4.5 % increase over the previous year—yet it is not clear whether the fundraiser money would offset a portion of that increase.

The Impasse and Public Sentiment

In the weeks following the report, public sentiment has been sharply divided. A Lancaster Online poll (https://lancasteronline.com/poll) found that 58% of respondents disapproved of the lawmakers’ overseas trip, while 42% felt that the trip was justified to secure federal funding. On the fundraising front, a separate poll (https://lancasteronline.com/poll2) showed that 62% of respondents viewed the high‑ticket events as “excessive and inappropriate,” while 38% saw them as “necessary for effective lobbying.”

The General Assembly’s own Budget and Fiscal Policy Committee released a statement on June 15, 2024, asserting that the committee is “working to craft a budget that balances fiscal responsibility with the state’s need for growth.” The statement, accessible via the committee’s website (https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/budget/budget.cfm), notes that the committee will “meet in early July to review new proposals from both parties.”

Where the Budget Stuck

A key point of contention is the tax structure. Republicans argue that any significant tax increase would be politically unviable and would harm the state’s competitiveness. Democrats counter that a modest tax increase—proposed at a 0.5 % surcharge on the state income tax—would generate $500 million per year, enough to cover the additional social‑service spending.

The debate is further complicated by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s ruling (https://www.pascourt.gov/decisions/2023/03) that the state cannot impose a tax increase without voter approval. The ruling was made in the context of a separate case involving a proposed 1.0 % state sales tax increase that had been rejected by the public in 2022. The court’s decision is often cited by Republicans as a precedent for the current budget negotiations.

Looking Ahead

With the fiscal year ending in September, the state faces a looming deadline. According to the Pennsylvania State Budget Office (https://www.sbo.state.pa.us/2024budget), if the General Assembly fails to pass a budget by the deadline, the state will be forced to invoke the "automatic appropriation" process, which would freeze all appropriations at their 2023 levels, effectively halting new projects and potentially reducing benefits for students and low‑income families.

The story concludes with a call for transparency: “If lawmakers want the public to trust them, they must be open about how travel and fundraising costs relate to the budget they are trying to pass.” The article urges voters to keep an eye on the next budget negotiations and to use the upcoming midterm elections to signal their priorities.