😀  Monday Morning, You Sure Look Fine. OK, Fleetwood Mac

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PA Weather
☀️ Pittsburgh | Sunny, 42
☀️ Harrisburg | Sunny, 42
☀️ Philadelphia | Sunny, 40

PA Sports
🏒 Flyers (27-26-8) | Winnipeg 2-1 (SO) | Tue vs. Calgary
🏒 Penguins (24-29-10) | Boston 2-3 | Toronto 5-6 (OT)
🏀 Sixers (21-38) | Golden State 126-119 | Mon vs. Portland
⚽ Union (2-0) | Cincinnati 4-1 | Sat vs. New England

📅  What’s Happening Today. The House Appropriations Committee holds hearings with the Dept. of Corrections and the PUC.

🔊  What We’re Hearing. An internal poll obtained by Axios shows Corey O’Connor up 12 percentage points against Ed Gainey among likely Democratic voters in Pittsburgh’s mayoral contest.

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

Top Story

1. PA Republicans Who Narrowly Won Their House Seats Feel the Heat of Early Votes Back Home

“Newly minted U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan swore he wouldn’t support gutting government benefits such as Medicaid that residents of his northeastern Pennsylvania district rely on.

Then the first-term Republican voted for a bill that could do just that.

Bresnahan, fellow newcomer Ryan Mackenzie and seven-term Rep. Scott Perry now find themselves navigating the delicate politics of a divided electorate once again, this time during the first weeks of President Donald Trump’s second term as he makes economy-altering decisions.” (AP)

Elsewhere

Gov. Shapiro Denounces Trump, Vance Treatment of Zelensky in Oval Office. “Gov. Josh Shapiro denounced President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance for verbally assailing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office Friday, accusing Trump and Vance of having “advanced Russia’s propaganda directly from the White House.”” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

McClure Announces Candidacy For 7th Congressional District. “In what may be perceived as a wee bit early, Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure announced that he is running to represent Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District in the 2026 election cycle.” (PoliticsPA)

Even in Philly, Some Support Trump’s Mass Firings. “The Trump administration’s mass firings of federal employees last week sparked anguished denunciations from the affected workers and many others in Philadelphia. Yet there’s also support for the slashing approach to shrinking the federal workforce, even in left-leaning Philadelphia.” (Billy Penn)

A Trump Order Made English the Official Language of the U.S. What Does That Mean? “Beyond designating English as the country’s official language, the order rescinds a federal mandate issued in 2000 by President Bill Clinton that required agencies and recipients of federal funding to provide extensive language assistance to non-English speakers.” (Washington Post)

State

2. PA Budget Hearings Focus On Education Funding Reform Amid Threats of Federal Cuts: Analysis

“Federal cutbacks could throw a wrench into what might otherwise be significant reforms this year in how Pennsylvania funds education, according to discussions at state budget hearings last week.

Officials with the state Department of Education appeared before both the House and Senate, where Democratic lawmakers, as well as agency officials, expressed concern over President Donald Trump’s pledge to close the U.S. Department of Education, leaving an open question as to how – or if – federal dollars routed to states would continue to flow.” (PennLive)

Elsewhere

Pittsburgh-Area VA Employees Fired, Critical Cuts Remain Pending. “So far, the agency has laid off about 2,400 employees, and the suspension of hundreds of contracts that advocates say would hinder critical veterans’ health services is pending.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

With Three Seats on the Ballot, This Year’s State Supreme Court Race May Be ‘A Different Animal’. “Republican and Democratic campaigners say the outcome could shape policy and politics for a decade or more.” (Penn Capital-Star)

Former Top PA Official Protests Cuts to National Parks: They Are ‘Endangering Our Crown Jewels’. “Brenda Barrett has a nearly 50-year relationship with the National Park Service. First as a young lawyer out of Dickinson Law School, working at the agency headquarters in Washington and later spending six years as the national coordinator for Heritage Areas. Barrett said she couldn’t stand idly by as the Trump administration took its ax to the nation’s “crown jewels” — the national park system.” (PennLive)

Final Say on Penn State Campus Closures Might Not Involve the University’s Governing Board. “It’s unclear what authority the university’s Board of Trustees has in approving Neeli Bendapudi’s eventual closure plan.” (Spotlight PA State College)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Republican Donors Trying to Unseat Pittsburgh’s Progressive Black Mayor

“Several major Republican donors are throwing their financial support behind the primary opponent of Ed Gainey, who became Pittsburgh’s first Black mayor in 2022 and now faces a difficult re-election fight this year, in a seemingly concerted effort to oust the progressive leader.

The Democratic primary battle between Gainey and Corey O’Connor, the Allegheny county controller, is shaping up to be one of the biggest tests of the progressive movement since Donald Trump’s victory last November.” (The Guardian)

Elsewhere

Where the Pittsburgh Mayoral Candidates Stand On Public Safety, Crime. “Pittsburgh’s next mayor will inherit a police force where recruitment can’t match the amount of officers leaving the force and despite a decrease in homicides, some residents still feel that areas of the city are unsafe.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

‘I Was Immediately Interested’: How Mike Pence Landed a Teaching Gig at a Small Christian College. “The decision to teach at Grove City, a private college with about 2,400 students, wasn’t difficult, Pence said.” (Indianapolis Star)

A Former Philly Prosecutor Seeking to Clear Her Name Has Sparked a Unique Legal Battle With DA Larry Krasner. “Krasner’s office accused Beth McCaffery of prosecutorial misconduct in 2018. She’s gone to court seeking to prove that accusation wrong.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

County Solicitor Says McGloin Is Still a Commissioner and No Vacancy Exists Until Board Accepts Resignation at Formal Meeting. “That means Matt McGloin could show up to work and rescind his resignation at any point prior to the commissioners meeting March 5, when a motion to accept the resignation will be on the meeting agenda.” (Scranton Times-Tribune)

Editorial

4. What’s On Your Mind

• Congress May Be More Afraid of Trump Than It Is of Voters. (Mark S. Singel)
• People Seeking Asylum Have a Right to Be Here. (PennLive)
• Federal Funding For Abandoned Mines in PA Must Be Protected. (Eric Dixon)
• Help Save Democracy. Read a Book. (Keith C. Burris)
• School Sports Policies Must Be Unequivocal to Protect Both Girls and Boys. (Beth Ann Rosica)
• Cut Science Funding, Hurt Pennsylvania Kids. (Anne Park)
• McGloin Not Sacked Yet. (Chris Kelly)
• It’s Time to Phase Out Tax Credits to Taylor Swift and Other Musical Stars Who Rehearse at Rock Lititz. (LNP)

1 Thing

5. A Growing Industry: How Cannabis Is Moved Across Pennsylvania

“After over 15 years as a police officer, Ralph Miller took up a new job. In some ways, it’s familiar work: driving around with a partner and staying alert for potential threats.

But his new ride is an unmarked van filled with cannabis.

Every week Miller pulls up to a cultivator and loads up the van with prescription-grade containers of medical marijuana to take to dispensaries across Pennsylvania. He works for Talaria, the largest cannabis transporter in the state, which hires former law enforcement to haul around $1.5 billion in product a year.” (WESA)

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