Spice Up Gov. Shapiro’s 2024 Budget Speech with Budget Address BINGO

Harrisburg, Pa., February 5, 2024 — Ahead of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s second annual budget address, the Commonwealth Foundation invites you to spice up the governor’s upcoming speech with a game of Budget Address BINGO.

On February 6, 2024, Pennsylvania budget enthusiasts can take part by downloading their own Budget Address BINGO card from the Commonwealth Foundation’s website. Each square on the card features one of Shapiro’s all-too-frequent catchphrases.

Will Shapiro tout the herculean reconstruction of I-95? Will he proclaim that Pennsylvania is “open for business” or remind everyone that he is “competitive as hell?” Play along with us to discover how many of his well-worn “Shapiro-isms” make the cut.

“You can only hit replay on your greatest hits so many times before people start catching on—and wondering if you’re stuck on repeat,” said Kevin Kane, the director of legislative strategy at the Commonwealth Foundation. “While we enjoy the governor’s penchant for recycling slogans—like his new favorite, ‘get stuff done’—it’s just talk. The truth is his record leaves a lot to be desired.”

Shapiro’s first six months in office were the least productive of any Pennsylvania governor in the last 50 years. Through July 2023, Shapiro signed just 15 bills, compared to an average of 86 enacted over the same time frame in the past 12 terms. According to the Commonwealth Foundation’s latest Common Ground survey, 61 percent of Pennsylvanians could not list a single major accomplishment of Shapiro’s administration. Rather, the governor fell short on his promises, in particular, to kids stuck in failing schools by not making the Lifeline Scholarship Program, also known as the Pennsylvania Award for Student Success (PASS), a reality.

Kane continued: “Last year’s budget was a bit of a disaster. Not only was it embarrassingly late, but the governor also punted responsibility for completing it to the legislature. Maybe this year, we’ll see Shapiro back up his rhetoric with action and lead. If the governor truly wants to ‘bring people together’ at the ‘speed of business’ to ‘invest in our schools’ and address ‘unfinished business,’ he should start by keeping his promise to pass Lifeline Scholarships/PASS.”

Download your Budget Address BINGO card here.

###

The Commonwealth Foundation turns free-market ideas into public policies, fostering prosperity for all Pennsylvanians.