‘Overall, It’s Too High,’ Stacy Garrity Says Of Bipartisan Budget Deal

Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity voiced opposition Monday to the state’s newly enacted $50.8 billion state budget.

Speaking to reporters during a campaign stop in Central Bucks County, the Republican candidate for governor said that the bipartisan spending package, which Shapiro signed into law earlier this month, burdens taxpayers and hides long-term challenges the state faces.

“Overall, it’s too high,” Garrity said. “I come from the private sector, and in the private sector, you have to look for 3 to 5 percent efficiency every single year. You can absolutely find it. But when you’re a career politician, you think that you just throw money at issues, and it’s gonna fix itself.”

Garrity, who is running against Shapiro, a Democrat, said her role as elected treasurer gives her oversight of state funds.

She warned that rising expenses are masking a structural deficit that could reach as high as $5 billion, adding that working families should not be expected to live within their means while Harrisburg fails to do the same.

Garrity commented on education expenditures, which lawmakers have grown in recent years.

“We’re spending a billion dollars more a year than when Josh Shapiro first took office,” Garrity said. “We’re ninth highest in spending, but guess where we’re ranking outcomes? It’s 39. Obviously, throwing money at it isn’t working.”

The final $50.8 billion budget came in lower than the $53.2 billion plan proposed earlier this year by Shapiro, a former state lawmaker, Montgomery County commissioner, and state attorney general.

While some Republican lawmakers expressed worry over total spending and whether there is a growing structural deficit, the days-late budget drew praise from leaders across both parties for holding taxes steady while funding key state programs.

After the budget signing, Shapiro pointed to the bipartisan coalition that passed the legislation through a divided General Assembly.

“This is the fourth year in a row where – despite working with one of the only divided legislatures in the country, where we have some really profound differences – we stayed at the table and brought Democrats and Republicans together to get stuff done, again,” Shapiro said. “There were 252 members who voted on this budget and 211 voted yes. Only 41 voted no. That shows we found consensus. We managed to find compromise – without compromising our core values.”

According to the governor’s office, the spending plan increases funding for 2026-2027 for public education and workforce development, invests in business growth, streamlines the permitting processes, funds protective services for children and older adults, and supports four new state trooper cadet classes.

Shapiro’s campaign pushed back against the treasurer’s comments in a statement this week.

“Today’s news makes it clear: Stacy Garrity opposes funding for law enforcement, education, economic development, and many more critically important priorities to move Pennsylvania forward,” the campaign stated.