JOINT OP-ED FROM REGIONAL CHAMBER LEADERS: PENNSYLVANIA NEEDS A BUDGET – OUR LAWMAKERS NEED TO COMPROMISE

This marks the third straight year our Commonwealth has missed the July 1 budget deadline, which is mandated in the state’s constitution. With each passing day of inaction, the consequences grow more real for our small businesses, counties, school districts and nonprofits. Here in Chester, Delaware, and Philadelphia Counties, where we pride ourselves on economic competitiveness and quality of life, a prolonged budget impasse puts critical services and future growth at risk.
 
At the Chambers, we believe a strong, balanced state budget should include smart, pro-growth economic policies, alongside the resources needed to support education, public safety, and human services.

While we don’t agree with every aspect of Governor Shapiro’s proposed $51.5 billion spending plan, we appreciate his and members of the General Assembly’s willingness to focus on permitting reform and regulatory modernization: key priorities for the business community. Streamlining these processes is essential if we want to attract investment, expand our infrastructure, and create quality jobs.

At the same time, targeted investments in areas such as infrastructure and public transit, childcare access, career and technical education, and mental health services are not just social programs: their economic imperatives. A strong workforce starts with strong communities.
 
And yet, with partisan gridlock in Harrisburg, these priorities remain unfunded and uncertain.
 
Without a completed budget:

• State and County Economic development grants and loans are halted, further hurting Pennsylvania’s ability to remain competitive with neighboring states.
• Payments to counties are delayed, impacting everything from election operations to behavioral health services.
• School districts face planning instability just weeks before the academic year begins.
• Public transit systems face funding shortfalls that threaten service and future expansion. This undermines regional mobility and economic growth.
• Childcare providers, already stretched thin, are left in limbo.
• Nonprofits and vendors who partner with the state to deliver services are at risk of being left without reimbursements.
• Medicaid, infrastructure investments, and workforce grants remain mired in uncertainty.

The ongoing impasse, caused by legislative gridlock, serves no one. Counties are bracing for withheld funds. School districts are preparing budgets without knowing what they'll receive. And local organizations that partner with the state are wondering how long they can operate without reimbursements.
 
The economic success of southeastern Pennsylvania is tied to predictability, investment, and good governance.  We need our state leaders to act with urgency and responsibility, not just to pass a budget, but to support the people and institutions counting on it.
 
Pennsylvania’s business community is not asking for perfection. We’re asking for governance. We urge our state legislators to return to the table and deliver a budget that sets a clear path forward: one that is fiscally responsible, pro-business, and people-focused.
 
On behalf thousands of employers, workers, and families in southeastern Pennsylvania, we urge our legislators to return to Harrisburg, pass a responsible, timely budget, and demonstrate the leadership Pennsylvanians deserve. The stakes are too high to allow ideological fights to stall real progress.
 
Laura Manion
President and CEO, Chester County Chamber of Business and Industry
 
Trish McFarland
President and CEO, Delaware County Chamber of Commerce
 
Chellie Cameron
President and CEO, Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia