Feb. 04, 2026
HARRISBURG — Rep. Kathy L. Rapp (R-Warren/Crawford/Forest), Republican chair of the House Health Committee, issued this statement following the governor’s budget address today:
“Gov. Josh Shapiro started our yearly budget process today by unveiling his spending plan for the Commonwealth. He wants to spend more than $53 billion, an increase of more than 5% over the current fiscal year. I’m always cognizant of the fact that this is taxpayer money we’re dealing with, and these dollars come out of the pockets of Pennsylvanians. However, like any year, the governor’s plan is simply a starting point in a long and winding road to a final budget bill.
“Now that the General Assembly knows the governor’s priorities, the House and Senate will hold hearings with the heads of the governor’s administration. This gives legislators the opportunity to ask questions and determine how we should allocate the finite resources we have at our disposal.
“Over the course of the next few months, the General Assembly will use the coming session days to decide whether we should make some of the legislative adjustments the governor requested. This part of the process can decide how different the final budget will look compared to the governor’s initial plan.
“During the governor’s address, he discussed many of the different line items he has in this year’s budget plan. However, I was disappointed that he never touched on rural health care and the issues our rural hospitals have been facing. Despite this omission, he touched on many other pertinent issues. Now it’s up to the House and Senate to decide how his priorities stack up to our constituents.”
To see the governor’s speech, click here.
Representative Kathy Rapp
65th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Jake Gillespie
717.772.9834
RepRapp.com / Facebook.com/RepRapp