Wednesday. The top of the mountain. All downhill from here.

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Your Morning Pick-Me-Up. Subterranean Homesick Blues by Bob Dylan.

PA Weather
Blooming Valley | Showers, 60
Burnham | Rain, 57
Birchrunville | Showers, 57

PA Sports
Flyers (27-27-8) | Calgary 3-6 | Thu vs. Winnipeg
Penguins (24-30-10) | Colorado 1-4 | Fri vs. Vegas
Sixers (21-40) | Minnesota 112-126 | Thu vs. Boston

What’s Happening Today. The House Appropriations Committee holds shearing with the Dept. of Insurance and Treasury. The Senate talks with the Dept. of Human Services. 

Happy Birthday. Cake and candles for Rep. Tim Twardzik.

Social Media. Join us on Twitter and Bluesky at @PoliticsPA

Top Story

1. Trump Celebrates His Disruption But Slides Over Its Costs

“In the days immediately preceding his address to Congress on Tuesday night, President Trump took a chain saw to government agencies, initiated a trade war, cut off arms to Ukraine and sided with a brutal authoritarian, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.

But a visitor arriving from a distant planet who listened to Mr. Trump’s address before an audience of enthusiastic Republicans and dejected, powerless and angry Democrats would not have sensed the scale and intensity of the disruption of the past 44 days and the deep concerns it has produced.” (NY Times)

Elsewhere

Trump’s Speech to Congress Featured Democratic Disruptions, A Focus On Elon Musk, and Butler Remembrance. “President Donald Trump drew a wave of adoration from Republicans and a series of Democratic protests as he touted the bold first 44 days of his presidency, doubled down on his promise of imposing tariffs and repeatedly hit culture war topics that have long galvanized his most faithful base.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Key Pennsylvania Takeaways From President Donald Trump’s Address to Congress. “President Donald Trump covered a lot of Pennsylvania territory in his address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night. ” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Pennsylvania Voters Split On Trump’s Speech in CNN Focus Group. “President Donald Trump’s speech Tuesday night was well-received by those who backed him against Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, but alienated Democratic voters who oppose his agenda, a CNN focus group in the Philadelphia suburbs found.” (CNN)

Pragmatic Democrats Seek to Rebuild in PA. “It’s safe to say that most Pennsylvania Democrats are chastened by their loss of the White House, the U.S. Senate seat held by Bob Casey, and three row offices. In 2016, many Democrats saw Donald J. Trump as illegitimate, but that’s harder to do now after he won the popular as well as electoral vote. How will Democrats respond to voters in the second Trump administration and rebuild their political brand?” (RealClearWire)

State

2. In One Analysis, Trump Tariffs On Imports Could Cost Keystone State $5.3 Billion

“New tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China imposed Tuesday by President Donald Trump could have a $5.3 billion economic impact on Pennsylvania businesses, according to a firm that analyzes trade policies.

Trade Partnership Worldwide reviewed U.S. imports from November through January. The $5.3 billion increase to Pennsylvania businesses — an uptick of 257% — ranked the state ninth in the country, according to its analysis.” (USA Today Network)

Elsewhere

Pippy Sworn In As Adjutant General. “Governor Josh Shapiro administered the oath of office to Major General John R. Pippy, Pennsylvania’s 55th adjutant general and head of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA). In addition to his cabinet-level position, Pippy also assumes command of the Pennsylvania National Guard, the third largest in the nation.” (PoliticsPA)

Reviving Rural PA Should Start With Shoring Up Local Governments, Says State Commission. “Removing barriers to getting public dollars into the hands of Pennsylvania’s rural communities is a top priority of a new commission created to revive these areas.” (Spotlight PA State College)

Shortest Month is Plus Month For PA Collections. “Revenue Secretary Pat Browne announced on Monday that Pennsylvania collected $2.9 billion in General Fund revenue in February – $44 million or 1.6 percent more than anticipated.” (PoliticsPA)

Lancaster County Commissioner Josh Parsons Faces Final Hurdle Toward PA Senate. “Parsons, 49, comfortably won the nomination over state Rep. Brett Miller in January, a victory built on a strong showing from GOP committee members who are affiliated with far-right groups like FreePA and Moms For Liberty.” (LNP)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Who’s Running For County Courts of Common Pleas?

“Thirty-five Pennsylvania counties will start the process of filling vacancies on their counties’ Court of Common Pleas on May 20.

Here is a list of vacancies in those counties along with names of those who have filed petitions with the Pennsylvania Department of State.” (PoliticsPA)

Elsewhere

The IRS Is Drafting Plans to Cut As Much As Half Of Its 90,000-Person Workforce, AP Sources Say. “The IRS is drafting plans to cut its workforce by as much as half through a mix of layoffs, attrition and incentivized buyouts, according to two people familiar with the situation.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

DOGE Announces Government Office Closings in Central PA. “The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has announced that it is closing several government offices in Central Pennsylvania as part of its plan to save taxpayers’ money.” (PoliticsPA)

• DOGE Is Ending Lease For Philadelphia SEC Office Amid Nationwide Cuts. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• DOGE Cutting Harrisburg-Area USDA, Other Offices After Pushing Employees Out. (PennLive)
• Trump May Put Hundreds of Federal Buildings Up For Sale, Including FBI, USDA, DOJ. (Penn Capital-Star)
• Philly’s Independence Park Hit By National Park Layoffs. (Axios Philadelphia)

Acting Pittsburgh Police Chief Says He’s Leaving the Department Because of ‘Political Football’. “Christopher Ragland, the acting Pittsburgh police chief and Mayor Ed Gainey’s nominee to take over the position, is leaving the bureau altogether, citing “demands” made of him that he felt were unethical.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Editorial

4. Speak Your Mind

• Trump’s Tariffs Whack Trump Voters. (Wall Street Journal)
• The State of Himself. (Maureen Dowd)
• ‘He Finally Shot the Hostage’: Trump’s Trade War Is a Brutal Reality Check. (Victoria Guida)
• For Trump Supporters, A Golden Age Has Begun, An Expert Explains MAGA Joy. (Alex Hinton)
• This Is American Greatness Only If You Have a MAGA-nifying Glass. (George Will)
• Now More Than Ever, Pennsylvania Public Schools Require Evidence-Based Policies. (J. Cameron Anglum)
• Eliminate Waste But Leave Vital Services Alone. (Cynthia G. Witman)
• Thank You Democrats! (Guy Ciarrocchi)
• McGloin Breaks His Silence. (Chris Kelly)

1 Thing

5. Pennsylvania Parlance

President Trump issued an executive order last month declaring English the official language of the United States.

Why it matters: About 22% of people in the U.S. speak a language other than English at home, according to the Census Bureau. About 13% of Pennsylvanians speak a language other than English at home.

Spanish (5.9%) is the most common non-English language spoken in the state, as of 2023. Pennsylvania has one of the highest percentages of German speakers (0.9%) of any state thanks to a large Amish population, who speak Pennsylvania Dutch, a dialect of German.” (Axios Pittsburgh)

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