Pennsylvania Perspective for Thursday, September 24, 2026

Pennsylvania

Shapiro Campaign Raises $13.3M, Garrity Campaign $1.8M

Incumbent Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro reported a $13.3 million fundraising haul over the past three months and leaving him with nearly $20 million on hand for the final stretch. Treasurer Stacy Garrity raised $1.84 million during the same reporting period and maintains $1.37 million in her campaign coffers as the candidates prepare for the November election. The gubernatorial race is positioned alongside other competitive races in Pennsylvania, where Democrats are leveraging Governor Shapiro’s popularity and fundraising advantage to defend their narrow one-seat state House majority and attempt to overcome a four-seat Republican advantage to seize control of the state Senate for the first time in decades.

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Audit Reveals Weaknesses in PA Elder Abuse Oversight

A new report from Pennsylvania Auditor General Tim DeFoor identified significant deficiencies in the Department of Aging’s oversight of county-level elder abuse and neglect investigations. The audit outlined ten major weaknesses, noting that the department’s newly implemented performance evaluation system assesses county agencies every 18 months rather than the legally mandated annual timeline, fails to prioritize severe safety risks over minor clerical errors in its scoring, and allows local agencies to bypass a 20-day investigation completion requirement. Additional findings highlighted inadequate caseworker training and the lack of an official review process for adults who die during active investigations. The Department of Aging strongly disputed the report, accusing the auditor general of misinterpreting state policies and timing the release for political purposes ahead of the upcoming election, while DeFoor defended the audit’s methodology and urged the department to implement the recommended safety reforms.

PA Health Insurance Premiums to Rise

Pennsylvanians purchasing health insurance through the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace, Pennie, will experience double-digit premium hikes for the second consecutive year. The Pennsylvania Insurance Department recently finalized rates for the upcoming year, approving an average increase of nearly 16% for individual plans and 10% for small-business group coverage. Regulators attribute the higher costs to increased healthcare demand, federal safety-net cuts, the expiration of enhanced premium tax credits, and new Medicaid work requirements that shift uncompensated care expenses to hospitals. While the state rejected nearly $95 million in proposed increases from insurers, the escalating costs have already led more than 200,000 residents to drop their coverage since the previous open enrollment period. Open enrollment for the upcoming year will run from November 1 through January 15.

Philadelphia

SEPTA Unveils Long-Term Transit Modernization Blueprint

SEPTA has announced a new transit improvement framework titled “Accelerate,” outlining a comprehensive vision to modernize and expand public transportation across the Greater Philadelphia region. The blueprint focuses on expanding frequent transit coverage to more than 2 million residents, connecting nearly half of regional jobs, achieving full station accessibility, and increasing Regional Rail frequencies to every 15 minutes. However, agency leadership did not assign an estimated cost to the initiative, noting that the purchase of new vehicles and the expansion of operations hinge entirely on securing consistent, long-term state funding rather than recurring short-term budget fixes. While officials pointed to the system’s operational performance during recent major events as proof of capability, they emphasized that replacing aging vehicle fleets and implementing systemic service enhancements remains impossible without stable financial commitments.

Pittsburgh

DA Details Investigation into Ex-Mayor’s Finances

An unsealed search warrant affidavit has revealed a long-running Allegheny County District Attorney investigation into the financial practices of former Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey’s administration, detailing allegations that officials funneled millions in city funds to political allies through no-bid contracts and masked the city’s precarious financial position. According to statements from former City Council attorney Dan Friedson and other city officials, the administration allegedly exploited sole-source contracting exceptions to bypass competitive bidding and utilized open-ended professional service agreements to mask payments to favored groups, some of which reportedly never produced the contracted work. The affidavit also suggests the administration’s manipulation of financial data, including reliance on a previously invalidated “jock tax,” contributed to a $45 million budget deficit and could potentially violate federal securities laws. However, several individuals and organizations named in the document have strongly denied the accusations, citing significant factual inaccuracies and characterizing the allegations as politically motivated rumors lacking evidentiary support.

Federal

Senator McCormick Urges Doubling of NIH Budget

Senator Dave McCormick (R-PA) has proposed doubling the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget over the next five years, arguing that robust federal investment in medical research is crucial for national security, economic growth, and maintaining global competitiveness against China. In an op-ed and subsequent remarks, Senator McCormick warned against recent White House proposals to cut the agency’s funding, noting that NIH research supports thousands of jobs in Pennsylvania and produces outsized returns through medical breakthroughs. Alongside his call for increased funding, the senator advocated for sweeping agency reforms, including replacing the NIH’s overhead system, reinstating merit-based grant evaluations, and introducing the Sunshine for Researchers Act to require federally funded scientists to disclose financial ties to private industry.

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