Harrisburg, PA, July 12, 2026 – Following final passage of Pennsylvania’s 2026-27 state budget, State Senator Christine Tartaglione (D–2, Philadelphia) released the following statement:
“Every budget is about priorities, and this budget contains meaningful investments that will benefit Pennsylvanians. This budget continues to strengthen healthcare and human services, provides tax relief for working families and seniors, supports public safety, and invests in workforce development and economic growth.
This budget also delivers significant funding to continue addressing Pennsylvania’s unconstitutional school funding system, expands support for student teachers, apprenticeships, and childcare workers, provides long overdue cost-of-living adjustments for retired teachers, police officers, and firefighters, and invests in mental health services, violence prevention, infrastructure, and higher education. These are meaningful investments that will improve lives across the Commonwealth. Those are accomplishments worth recognizing.
We made substantial progress on our priorities without compromising on our principles, but I cannot ignore what this budget failed to do.
For the twentieth consecutive year, Pennsylvania’s minimum wage remains frozen at $7.25 an hour. At a time when families continue to struggle with the rising costs of housing, groceries, childcare, healthcare, and utilities, passing another state budget without raising the minimum wage is a missed opportunity and a profound disappointment.
I have spent two decades fighting to ensure that anyone who works full-time can earn a wage that reflects today’s economy. Instead, Pennsylvania continues to lag behind every one of our neighboring states, leaving hundreds of thousands of workers further behind with each passing year.
This budget also relies heavily on one-time revenues and fund transfers while failing to adopt long-term revenue solutions that were already on the table. Regulating and taxing skill games, closing the Delaware loophole, and raising the minimum wage would have generated sustainable revenue, strengthened our economy, and reduced future budget pressures. Instead, those opportunities were left behind.
A strong budget should also position Pennsylvania for long-term success. We had the chance to make our tax structure fairer, modernize outdated laws, and invest in the Commonwealth’s future without relying so heavily on temporary fixes. We should have taken it.
While I supported many of the investments included in this budget, our work is far from finished. The affordability crisis facing working families is still very real, and the unfinished business left on the table today must become tomorrow’s priority.
I will continue fighting until Pennsylvania finally raises the minimum wage, modernizes its revenue system, and delivers the kind of economic opportunity that every hardworking Pennsylvanian deserves.”
###