FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 4, 2026
MEDIA CONTACT:
Kirstin Snow, Communications Director
snow@pennpolicy.org
Historic Shift in Harrisburg Ends Decades of Divided Government, Opens Door to Pennsylvania Affordability Agenda
With Democrats taking control of the state Senate for the first time in more than 30 years and expanding their House majority, Pennsylvania Policy Center calls for action on wages, education, child care, transit, health care, food access, and fair taxation
Harrisburg, PA — Pennsylvania’s political landscape has undergone a historic transformation. With Democrats flipping control of the state Senate for the first time in more than three decades, expanding their majority in the state House, and Governor Josh Shapiro winning reelection, the Commonwealth is poised to enter 2027 with unified Democratic control of state government for the first time since the early 1990s.
For the Pennsylvania Policy Center (PPC), the end of divided government presents a significant opportunity to address the affordability crisis facing Pennsylvania families and advance long-stalled legislation on wages, education, child care, transit, health care, food access, and tax fairness.
For years, Pennsylvania’s divided legislature has struggled to advance policies with broad public support, including proposals that passed the state House with bipartisan backing but never received a vote in the Republican-controlled Senate. Meanwhile, families have continued to confront rising costs for housing, groceries, utilities, health care, and other necessities.
“For the first time in more than three decades, Pennsylvania has an opportunity to move beyond the legislative gridlock that has stalled meaningful progress on the issues affecting people’s everyday lives,” said Felicity A. Williams, Esq., Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Policy Center. “But a change in who controls Harrisburg is not, by itself, a change in the economic realities facing Pennsylvania families. People still need wages that keep up with the cost of living, affordable child care and health care, reliable public transit, access to nutritious food, and schools with the resources every child deserves. The opportunity is historic. What matters now is what our elected leaders do with it.”
From Political Gridlock to an Affordability Agenda
PPC’s approach to affordability recognizes that economic security depends on more than prices alone. It is shaped by three interconnected factors: Household Income + Public Supports − Essential Costs
Pennsylvania families need incomes sufficient to support themselves, strong public investments that expand opportunity and reduce financial burdens, and policies that address the rising cost of essential goods and services.
Through its For Our Common Wealth campaign, a statewide coalition of 34 organizations, PPC has been working with advocates, community organizations, and policy partners to develop a comprehensive affordability agenda for the Commonwealth’s FY 2027–28 budget.
The agenda recognizes that addressing Pennsylvania’s affordability crisis requires coordinated action across multiple policy areas, backed by sustainable, recurring revenue.
The Work Ahead: Turning Opportunity Into Results
As the incoming General Assembly prepares to convene, PPC is calling on lawmakers and Governor Shapiro to prioritize an affordability agenda that:
- Raises wages and strengthens household economic security. Establish a path to a $25 minimum wage that keeps pace with the cost of living, expand refundable tax credits for working families, and create a state Child Tax Credit to help families afford essential needs.
- Fully and equitably funds public education. Continue closing Pennsylvania’s school funding adequacy gap, invest in safe and modern school facilities, and strengthen accountability so every child has access to a quality public education, regardless of ZIP code.
- Makes child care and early learning affordable and accessible. Expand access to affordable, high-quality child care and early learning programs while investing in the workforce needed to serve Pennsylvania families.
- Invests in reliable, accessible public transit. Establish permanent, recurring funding to stabilize transit agencies, restore and expand service, and connect Pennsylvanians to jobs, education, health care, and essential services.
- Protects health care and food security. Preserve access to affordable health coverage, Medicaid, SNAP, and nutrition assistance while strengthening state supports for families facing rising costs and potential disruptions to federal assistance.
- Advances fair taxation and sustainable revenue. Require wealthy households and multinational corporations to contribute their fair share, close corporate tax loopholes, and reform tax policies and subsidies that favor powerful industries over Pennsylvania families.
These priorities are especially urgent as Pennsylvania enters another budget cycle facing substantial fiscal pressures. Federal Medicaid and SNAP changes enacted under current law are creating additional risks for families and potential costs for the Commonwealth. While the new federal political landscape creates opportunities to revisit those policies, Pennsylvania must prepare for existing obligations and protect essential services as federal decisions unfold.
The Commonwealth cannot build a sustainable affordability agenda through temporary budget maneuvers, delayed expenditures, or continued reliance on reserves without addressing its structural revenue challenges.
A Historic Opportunity and a Responsibility to Deliver
The change in legislative control creates new possibilities for advancing proposals that have been stalled for years. But passing legislation will require sustained leadership, coordination between the General Assembly and the governor, and a commitment to policies that deliver measurable improvements for Pennsylvania families.
“We have spent years hearing that meaningful progress on affordability was impossible because of divided government,” Williams added. “That barrier may now be gone, but the underlying challenges remain. Pennsylvania has the opportunity to build an economy where working people can afford to live, children can access quality education, and our public systems have the resources to serve every community. That requires more than passing individual bills. It requires a comprehensive agenda, a fair and sustainable way to pay for it, and the political will to follow through. Pennsylvanians deserve results.”
PPC will continue working through its For Our Common Wealth campaign to advance research, develop policy solutions, and bring advocates and communities together around a comprehensive affordability agenda for the FY 2027–28 state budget.
The organization looks forward to working with the governor and members of both legislative chambers to advance policies that improve economic security and expand opportunity throughout the Commonwealth.
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Pennsylvania Policy Center (PPC) is a statewide, nonpartisan 501(c)(3) research, policy, and public education organization working to build a Pennsylvania where everyone has the opportunity not just to get by, but to get ahead. PPC combines rigorous policy analysis with public education, coalition building, and advocacy rooted in research and lived experience to advance economic, racial, and gender justice and strengthen democracy. Working with communities and partners across the Commonwealth, PPC advances policies that strengthen economic security, promote tax fairness, and expand access to health care, nutritious food, quality education, and other essential public services. Learn more at www.pennpolicy.org.