????  Hello July. 

????  Your Morning Pick-Me-Up. Mambo No. 5. Dare you not to move.

PA Weather
⛈️  Uniontown | Showers, Storms, 80
⛈️  Bloomsburg | Showers, Storms, 87
⛈️  Easton | Showers, Storms, 89

PA Sports
⚾  Phillies (50-35) | San Diego 4-0 | Tue-Wed vs. San Diego
⚾  Pirates (36-50) | St. Louis 7-0 | Tue-Wed vs. St. Louis
⚽  USMNT | Wed vs. Guatemala (Gold Cup Semifinal)

PA Money | Futures (as of 7:37 a.m.)
????  Dow -35.00 |  NASDAQ -52.50 |  S&P -11.25

????  What’s Happening Today. The House convenes at 11 a.m.

????  What We’re Hearing. “Protect Our Care, a Democratic health care advocacy group, is preparing a seven-figure ad blitz in 10 House districts (including PA-01, 07, 08), attacking vulnerable Republicans who vote for the GOP tax bill passage.”

????  What We’re Also Hearing. PA-07 Democratic candidate Ryan Crosswell announced a fundraising haul of more than $320,000 in the campaign’s first 21 days.

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

Top Story

1.   Evans Announces He Will Not Seek Reelection in PA-03

“Congressman Dwight Evans announced that he will not seek re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2026, concluding a distinguished career in public service spanning over four decades.

“Serving the people of Philadelphia has been the honor of my life,” said Evans. “And I remain in good health and fully capable of continuing to serve. After some discussions this weekend and thoughtful reflection, I have decided that the time is right to announce that I will not be seeking re-election in 2026. I will serve out the full term that ends Jan. 3, 2027.” (PoliticsPA)

Elsewhere

Fetterman: ‘I Just Want to Go Home’. “A longtime Jersey Shore favorite – Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes – recorded Steve Van Zandt’s “I Don’t Want to Go Home” in 1976. A Pennsylvania favorite – at least according to the 2022 general election – disagrees.” (PoliticsPA)

Supreme Court Takes Up a Republican Appeal to End Limits on Party Spending in Federal Elections. “The Supreme Court will hear a significant campaign finance case next term that will examine whether it violates the Constitution to restrict the amount of money that political parties can spend in coordination with individual candidates on advertising and other communications.” (Washington Post)

What to Know About the DOJ Revoking Citizenship of Naturalized Americans. “The U.S. Department of Justice has begun to prioritize stripping naturalized Americans of their citizenship when charged with crimes, according to a recent memo.” (Axios)

Education Department Freezes Cash For School Districts, Teacher Training, Migrant Students. “The Trump administration will withhold billions of federal education dollars from states and local schools that were expected to be available on July 1, according to notices sent to federal grantees on Monday.” (Politico)

State

2.  PA Budget Deadline Slips By, As Shapiro, Legislature Continue to Negotiate

“Pennsylvania will once again have no state budget in place by the June 30 deadline, as negotiations continue over a fiscal plan where mass transit funding, Medicaid, and regulation of so-called “skill games” have become sticking points.

Though the new fiscal year begins July 1, most agencies have enough cash in their accounts to continue operating for several weeks even without new appropriations. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have said they are focused on getting a good deal rather than one that just meets the due date.” (PennLive)

Elsewhere

Voices of Reason: What NYC Shake-Up Means for Pittsburgh Area Dems. “Longtime political analyst Jon Delano joins us for a sharp and wide-ranging conversation on the future of Democratic politics in PA. We dig into the implications of NYC mayor’s race, how Pittsburgh differs from Philly, and what’s at stake in funding core state services. Plus, a look at who’s running for what—and why it matters.” (PoliticsPA)

Shapiro: Budget Progress Being Made and ‘Will Land Very, Very Soon’. “Speaking at the Harrisburg YMCA on Monday, Gov. Josh Shapiro said that he anticipates that the FY26 Pennsylvania budget “will land very, very soon.”” (PoliticsPA)

Shapiro, State Dems Warn of Federal Cuts in GOP Spending Bill. “Gov. Josh Shapiro and Democrats in the state Senate are blasting President Donald Trump’s domestic spending plan as it advances in Washington. And they’re warning that Pennsylvania’s budget can’t backfill critical programs.” (WESA)

House Democrats Are Trying to Close the Delaware Loophole By Coupling the Proposal With No Tax on Tips and Overtime. “Democrats in Harrisburg are coupling a proposal to close a corporate tax loophole with more popular tax policies in an effort to get bipartisan support during ongoing budget negotiations.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Around The Commonwealth

3.  Thousands of Philadelphia City Workers Are Officially on Strike

“The Philadelphia city worker strike of 2025 has begun.

Greg Boulware, president of District Council 33 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, called for an immediate and indefinite work stoppage of the more than 9,000 municipal employees he represents after contract negotiations with Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s administration fell apart late Monday night.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Elsewhere

Miller Gives Update on Running For Harrisburg Mayor vs. Wanda Williams This Fall. “Harrisburg Treasurer Dan Miller says his supporters are urging him to run as a Republican for Harrisburg mayor against one-term incumbent and Democratic nominee Wanda Williams. But Miller told PennLive Monday he’s yet to make up his mind.” (PennLive)

‘No Alternative Funding Sources’: Trump’s Stifling of Disaster Aid Leaves Cities Adrift. “His house has been condemned for nearly two years, since the flood. The front yard where he played Wiffle ball as a kid is a wildland of weeds, caked mud and an overturned red pickup truck that the floodwaters carried 50 yards. Since President Donald Trump canceled a popular disaster grant program in April, Dave Kozlansky is losing hope that Scranton will buy his property, demolish the home and leave the land empty to absorb floodwater from an adjacent creek.” (Politico)

A MAGA Republican Puts Fayette County’s Finances on the Clock. “As the November election approaches in this southwestern Pennsylvania county, the soft whirring of local politics has found an unexpected metronome: a debt clock, ticking steadily on the personal website of Fayette County Recorder of Deeds Jon Marietta.” (The Independent Penn)

Editorial

4.  Speak Your Mind

• Donald Trump’s Shortsighted, Ugly, Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Bill. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• Please, Sen. McCormick: Do Not Destroy Medicaid—and the Lives It Sustains. (Gary H. Blumenthal)
• Federal Judges Are, Too Often, ‘Above The Law.’ We Can Stop It. (Aliza Shatzman)
• Why America Is So Dangerously Divided. (James Paharik)
• SEPTA Is Not Just a Philly Issue — All of Pennsylvania Has a Stake in Mass Transit. (Laura Manion and Mike Grigalonis)
• Does Video Sell Pennsylvania as State For Business or Just Roast NYC? (TribLIVE)
• We Need More Teachers in PA. (Ryan Unger)

1 Thing

5.   Crowds Flock to Idlewild for World’s Largest Rubber Duck

“Despite periods of “fowl” weather that rolled through the region, crowds flocked to Idlewild and SoakZone this past weekend to see a six-story inflatable rubber duck that’s touring the country all year.

Standing 61 feet tall and containing 140,000 cubic feet of air, the bright yellow World’s Largest Rubber Duck towered over the athletic field at the historic amusement park in Ligonier Township.” (Latrobe Bulletin)

Thanks for starting your July with us.
Enjoy the day and we’ll see you again tomorrow.