House Democrats Force Through Budget with No Details Offered, Maloney Says

November 13, 2025

HARRISBURG - The rush Thursday morning by House Democrats to push through a secretly negotiated "budget" in a few hours with very few members knowing what they were actually voting on was another shameful episode of the Shapiro administration, said Rep. David Maloney (R-Berks).

Maloney issued the following statement:
"This so-called budget reduces school choice in favor of the public teachers' unions and putting language into the Fiscal Code to 'seek alternatives to pregnancy,' whatever that means.

"I am concerned that very vague wording in the bill allows 'options' could include taxpayer-funded abortion.

"Quoting directly from the legislation: "no less than $11,5 million shall be used by the School Safety and Security Committee to provide grants for out-of-school programming for at-risk school-age youth. An eligible grantee under this paragraph shall include any school district, area career and technical school, library, statewide youth-serving nonprofit organization or community based nonprofit organization that is not a member of a statewide youth-serving nonprofit. out-of-school programming under this paragraph shall include structured programs or activities with engaged mentors and evidence-based or evidence-informed practices provided to school-age youth before school, after school or during the summer to improve social, emotional, academic or career-readiness, prevent and reduce teenage pregnancies…"

"In addition, this budget was passed by raiding our budget surplus and reducing it from over $6.5 billion to a mere $200 million. And we have no idea yet where this money is going.

"Businesses do not run on 'projected' funds and Gov. Josh Shapiro already has generated a deficit that is projected to grow to over $6 billion for the 2025-26 fiscal year and potentially reach over $7.6 billion by 2027-28.

"That means tax hikes, folks.

"Many are touting the elimination of the Democrat's Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) as a 'win,' in this budget. Well, that is news to me. Shapiro ran on getting rid of RGGI, and it has already been defeated numerous times in court. Getting rid of something already on its legal death bed is not a win.

"And not to be forgotten (though the Legislature and Shapiro may wish it so) are Pennsylvania's homeowners and Pennsylvania's absolutely unconstitutional property tax.

"In 2011-12 the Pennsylvania budget was $27.15 billion and those of us truly fighting school property taxes were told then that $7 billion to eliminate property taxes was a pipe dream.

"This budget now spends $50.09 billion and carries forward a Shapiro-generated $5.1 billion deficit, an absolute insult to homeowners being taxed into homelessness."

Representative David Maloney
130th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Charles Lardner
717.260.6161
[email protected]
RepMaloney.com