RealClearPennsylvania Articles

After four years of inflation, uncertainty, and runaway spending, America’s small business owners finally have a reason to breathe easier. Congressional Republicans, including freshman Rep. Rob Bresnahan, just passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which was signed into law in July. But with many Pennsylvanians still hurting, it’s important that Washington lawmakers continue enacting pro-growth economic policies to build on the One Big Beautiful Bill. In addition to preventing one of the biggest tax hikes in history, the bill also focused on ways to reduce energy and...

“Do what you can with all you have, wherever you are.”  – Theodore Roosevelt I have vivid memories as a 10-year-old helping my Italian-immigrant grandfather in his one-acre garden of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and I forget what else. I remember the smell of ripe vegetables, soil, and how everything seemed so fragile, as he ever so carefully weeded, watered, and de-leafed his plants. Yet despite that seeming fragility, he produced heaps of the biggest tomatoes and greenest peppers you ever saw, or at least that is how I remember it. The recent AI and Energy summit...

The Keystone State has been buzzing with excitement since the recent announcement detailing a wave of private investment that promises to make the commonwealth a national hub for artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure and the energy required to fuel it. The $90 billion of investments in data centers, energy, and workforce initiatives – estimated to create tens of thousands of jobs – were announced during an inaugural Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit hosted by U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick at Carnegie Mellon University and attended by President Donald Trump, Gov. Josh...

It’s now the summer of our discontent here in Pennsylvania, as the GOP’s 2022 gubernatorial nominee, state Sen. Doug Mastriano, continues to make noises about running for governor again next year. Most recent, he teased “Mastriano for Governor” logos on his social media accounts, asking his supporters which one they most preferred. Notoriously press shy, Mastriano even chatted with the Philadelphia Inquirer. He told them that he was close to running and wouldn’t be deterred by the complete lack of support from GOP insiders, one of whom described another Mastriano...

Pennsylvania is a diverse state. Hundreds of miles separate rural communities from dense cities. Governing this fractious geography requires lawmakers to address all regions and balance the needs of different cities and boroughs.  But while Pennsylvania Democrats take strides to cater to the needs of rural areas that give their votes to Republicans, state Republicans blatantly disregard the state’s cities.  Consider the case of rural Potter County, where a gas station owner had to turn off a single pump because of aging underground tanks. The gas station served...

If you have scrolled through Instagram or TikTok lately, you have probably seen slick telehealth ads promising doctor-prescribed weight-loss shots, such as Ozempic or Wegovy, delivered to your door. Platforms like Ro, Willow, Eden, and Hims/Hers flood feeds with offers that look like a fast track to slimness. For many consumers, that promise may be dangerously hollow. Demand for GLP‑1 drugs keeps climbing, and so does the shadow market trying to keep up. Back in May, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday warned residents about “counterfeit products flooding the...

According to rankings released by U.S. News, Pennsylvania is the 41st “best state,” positioning itself at 39th in education and 38th in its overall economy. When I was born, Pennsylvania had the third-largest population, but it fell to sixth place after the 2010 census, only to move up to fifth place when Illinois, well-known for its dysfunction, took the Keystone State’s place. Pennsylvania is also one of the oldest states, with those over age 80 comprising the fastest growing demographic. It’s a state with more people moving out than moving in. In other words, if the...

Welcome to Buildsylvania! Pennsylvania is poised to experience its biggest construction boom since the height of the Industrial Revolution. The unprecedented, AI-fueled need for energy, coupled with a national strategic imperative to “win” the artificial intelligence race, has positioned Pennsylvania to reclaim its Gilded Age role as the nation’s economic and innovation leader. These are big times for the Keystone State – and it has been quite some time. As deindustrialization hollowed out Rust Belt states like Pennsylvania, policymakers leaned into an eds-and-meds...

Pennsylvania is already confronting an in-home care crisis. Every month, more than 112,500 in-home care shifts go unfilled across the state, meaning that seniors, children with complex medical needs, and adults with disabilities are being left at home without the care they need. This is unacceptable, and it’s a crisis caused by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who have refused, for years, to pay Pennsylvania in-home caregivers a decent wage. Here’s the worst part: none of this is a surprise to our elected officials. Earlier this year, the Shapiro administration released an...

Maribel Torres knows firsthand the power of opportunity, as well as the costs imposed by its absence. Her mother moved to Lebanon County in 1950 from Puerto Rico and her husband worked for low wages in agriculture. At that time, discrimination in jobs and housing were pervasive, and ESL classes were a distant dream. Maribel accompanied her mother to translate for her medical appointments, among other necessities, so even though both were citizens they were made to feel like foreigners. At times, her mother “felt helpless or not intelligent, even though she was a very intelligent...

This month, titans of the energy, financial, and artificial intelligence (AI) industries gathered in Pittsburgh to attend the inaugural Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit hosted by Pennsylvania’s U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick at the campus of Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) – one of the “birth places” of AI. In attendance was U.S. Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent, Pennsylvania Gov.Josh Shapiro, and President Donald J. Trump. The purpose of the summit, as described by U.S. Sen. McCormick himself, is to “bring together top leaders in government, energy,...

All eyes were on Pennsylvania last week for the “Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit” – an event highlighting what role the commonwealth’s energy sector will play in the future of artificial intelligence and other technological advancements. The event featured prominent political figures, such as President Donald Trump, U.S. Sen. David McCormick, and Gov. Josh Shapiro.   Yet, one of these things is most certainly not like the others – especially when it comes to energy policy. Shapiro, the lone Democrat to present at the forum, stood out like a...

Everyone is still trying to figure out what to make of Zohran Mamdani’s victory in New York City’s mayoral primary. Mamdani emerged from a field of candidates, including Andrew Cuomo, who was attempting a political comeback after leaving office amid harassment accusations from several women who worked with and for him. Going into election day, Mamdani had some polling momentum, and all of the vibes momentum, but it was still widely expected that Cuomo would pull out a victory. On election day, Mamdani won early and convincingly in a ranked-choice election, sending the city and the...

I’ve followed enough Pittsburgh renaissances to know they usually amount to a hill of beans. The eds-and-meds miracle that was supposed to save us? Ask the University of Pittsburgh secretaries making $38,000 a year how that worked out while they watch Polish Hill homes list for $700,000. The robotics revolution? Sure, if you count Chinese-born CMU PhDs heading straight to Silicon Valley after graduation. But Tuesday’s AI-energy summit at Carnegie Mellon felt different, and not just because I watched Gov. Josh Shapiro and U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick share a stage without throwing...

I've been involved in Pennsylvania’s budget process for about 15 years, either as an actor or an observer.  I'm used to the opaque nature of negotiations.  The governor presents a budget early in January or February. For about two months, legislators hold hearings with agency secretaries where they question the leaders and staff on specific funding lines, policies, or components. It's an opportunity to publicly highlight policies either in the budget or those on the outside looking in. Certain lawmakers have a specific focus that they repeatedly emphasize year after year,...

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy called on the nation’s best and brightest to send Americans to the moon by 1970. He called on all Americans to support that cause – one of technological superiority and national security. It was a call to defeat the Soviet Union. It was a call to greatness. Fast forward this week – at the invitation of U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick – President Donald Trump, members of his cabinet, top entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and executives from the energy, data, technology, manufacturing, and workforce development sectors convened in Pittsburgh for...

Looking back at the 2024 election, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro might want to send Tim Walz a thank-you note. By getting picked as Kamala Harris's running mate instead of Shapiro, the Minnesota governor inadvertently did his Pennsylvania counterpart the biggest favor of his political career. A new book by Wall Street Journal reporter Josh Dawsey, New York Times reporter Tyler Pager, and Washington Post reporter Isaac Arnsdorf reveals just how close Shapiro came to boarding a sinking ship. Among other interesting details, “2024: How Trump Retook The White House And The Democrats Lost...

In today’s divided political landscape, finding common ground can feel like trying to host a friendly tailgate for Eagles and Cowboys – or Steelers and Ravens – fans in the same parking lot. But last month, bipartisanship took center stage as Amazon announced a historic $20 billion investment in Pennsylvania: the largest private capital investment in our Commonwealth's history. This wasn’t just any groundbreaking ceremony. Standing shoulder to shoulder were Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro and Republican U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, alongside business and labor leaders. Why...

Revolutions are not just chapters in history. They are tectonic shifts that redefine how humanity harnesses the forces of nature. A new chapter began at Carnegie Mellon University this summer. Convened by U.S. Senator David McCormick, the inaugural “Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit” signaled a paradigm shift. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum captured the summit’s central theme with a phrase that reframed the moment: “Don’t call it AI. It’s manufacturing intelligence. It is turning electricity into intelligence.” That simple reframing...