🥶  Still in the chill. Stay warm, Pennsylvania.

🗞️  The PoliticsPA Playbook is compiled by Steve Ulrich. To read in your browser, click here. Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe for free.

PA Weather
🌥️  Somerset | Partly Sunny, 11
🌥️  Towanda | Partly Sunny, 13
⛅  Mount Pocono | Increasing Clouds, 10

PA Sports
🏈  Eagles (16-3) | Sun vs. Washington
🏒  Penguins (20-21-8) | Los Angeles 5-1 | Thu vs. Anaheim
🏒  Flyers (21-20-6) | Tue vs. Detroit
🏀  Sixers (15-26) | Tue vs. Denver

🗓️  What’s Happening Today. State row officers will be sworn in at The Forum – State Treasurer Stacy Garrity (noon), Auditor General Tim DeFoor (1:30), and Attorney General Dave Sunday (3:00).

🔊  What We’re Hearing. “It’s not gonna happen. And even if I wanted to do that, that is a rocket sled to Palookaville to try to switch. I would make a pretty bad Republican.” – Sen. John Fetterman

📱  Social Media. PoliticsPA has a number of social media outlets for you to get the latest political news from around the Commonwealth: Twitter | Bluesky | Facebook | LinkedIn

Top Story

1. Seven Key Focal Points of Trump’s First-Day Executive Orders

“President Donald Trump’s flurry of first-day executive actions included a slew of orders related to health, energy, international relations and the federal workforce.

That’s in addition to the nearly across-the-board pardons of those convicted of offenses related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and Trump’s decision to pause enforcement of a prohibition on TikTok operating in the United States.

Overnight, Trump also announced that he was beginning the process of dismissing holdover political appointees from the Biden administration, as part of a review conducted by the White House personnel office.” (Roll Call)

Elsewhere

Pennsylvanians in Washington Cheer Donald Trump’s Return to White House. “Some Pennsylvanians who traveled for Trump’s inauguration were left out in the cold Monday, but they still had warm feelings about the new president.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

How Pennsylvania Lawmakers Responded to President Donald Trump’s Inauguration. “Leaders who represent the Keystone State were mixed in their reactions.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Donald Trump’s Executive Orders Are Likely to Have a Tangible Impact On Philadelphia’s Federal Workers. “The directives — a hiring freeze and mandating in-person work — could have a significant impact in Philadelphia, a major hub for federal workers, yet agencies’ staff are often stretched thin and have crucial telework employees.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

State

2. Fetterman Shoots Down Party Switch Rumors: ‘Not Going to Happen’

“John Fetterman’s seen the rumors on social media that he’s going to switch caucuses.

His response: “That’s amateur hour shit.”

“If they think, ‘oh, it’s going to be like a Manchin or a Sinema play,’ that’s just not true, and that’s not going to happen,” Fetterman told Semafor on Monday night — referring to former senators from West Virginia and Arizona, respectively, who left the Democratic Party but did not caucus with Republicans.” (Semafor)

Elsewhere

McCormick Says Committee Assignments Align With His Priorities for PA. “Pennsylvania’s newest U.S. senator says the committee assignments he received earlier this month are a perfect match for his priorities while representing the people of Pennsylvania.” (DV Journal)

Scanlon Says She’ll Work With Trump Administration, But Not If Rights Are Eroding. “Delaware County Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (D-5) said Monday that Democrats will work with the new administration to get things done in the community but not roll over if rights are being taken away.” (Delaware County Times)

PA Democrats Call on GOP State Senate Leaders to Raise Minimum Wage. “Twenty one states raised their minimum wages on Jan. 1, but Pennsylvania was not among them. Pennsylvania Democrats say raising the wages of the commonwealth’s lowest-paid workers will again be at the top of their agenda in the 2025-2026 legislative session.” (Penn Capital-Star)

Garrity On Being Impatient, PA’s Unclaimed Property Problem, and the Governor’s Race. “Stacy Garrity will start her term preparing to send out checks up to $500 to Pennsylvanians with unclaimed property.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Around The Commonwealth

3. PA Rep. Matt Gergely Was Immensely Invested in Mon Valley, Elected Leaders and Friends Say

“Gergely, who was elected as a state representative to the 35th district in a special election in February 2023, has deep roots in public service in McKeesport. He previously served as city administrator in the city and in the area school district.

His death now leaves the state House in a split between Democrats and Republicans at 101-101 until Speaker Joanna McClinton calls a special election in the coming months. Recent history shows that while Democrats will want to call an election quickly, it will at least be multiple weeks before an election is held.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Elsewhere

What to Expect as Donald Trump Picks New U.S. Attorneys. “The region will have a new top federal prosecutor after Monday’s inauguration of Donald Trump — and the work of the U.S. attorney’s office often shifts to reflect what the new administration prioritizes in its agenda.” (New Castle News)

Western Pennsylvanians Connected to Attack on Capitol Pardoned in Sweeping Trump Order. “The order commuted the sentences of 14 rioters to time-served and issued full pardons to more than 1,500 who’d already been convicted or pleaded guilty. ” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Despite Down Performance in Straw Polls, State Rep. Brett Miller to Remain in 36th District Race. “State Rep. Brett Miller will continue his campaign this week for the Republican Party nomination in the 36th Senate District special election, despite failing to win a majority of votes during a series of informal straw polls over the first weeks of the year.” (LNP | Lancaster Online)

Editorial

4. What’s On Your Mind

• Trump’s Inaugural of Optimism. (Wall Street Journal)
• After a First Term Spent Tarnishing the Presidency, Trump Takes Office Again With Empty Promises of a Gilded Age. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• Beneath a Veneer of Calm, Trump’s Inauguration Holds Warning Signs For US Democracy. (Nicholas Riccardi)
• Old MAGA vs. New MAGA Fight For Trump’s Favor and America’s Future. (Nia-Malika Henderson)
• Trump Doesn’t Have a Mandate, But, Oh, Does He Have Executive Orders. (George Will)
• Republicans Hold All the Keys As Second Trump Term Begins. (Stuart Rothenberg)
• Pennsylvania’s Running Out of Money. (Andrew Holman)
• PA Voters Want a True Early Voting Option – It’s Time We Gave It to Them. (Salewa Ogunmefun)
• GOP’s Path to a New State Majority? (Guy Ciarrocchi)
• Linking PA’s Shale Gas Industry to Calif. Wildfires. (Alison L. Steele)

1 Pet Thing

5. Splurging on Pets Like Never Before

“New companies have cropped up in light of the booming pet economy, capitalizing on the fact that millennials and Gen Zers are prioritizing their doodles over buying houses or having kids.

Make room in the fridge…a bag of Purina isn’t gonna cut it for Ruffles. Consumers have increasingly turned to fresh dog food providers like Freshpet and The Farmer’s Dog, and Bloomberg Intelligence estimates the global pet food market could reach $135 billion by 2030.

And in your budget. New private jet charters allow you to fly with your dog at your side, while in cities like LA and New York, luxury dog daycares are cropping up (for as much as $1,400 a month).”

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