Shapiro takes new approach in Pa. minimum wage conversation

Gov. Josh Shapiro tried a new narrative to raise Pennsylvania’s minimum wage during his budget address on Tuesday.

Speaking in front of a joint session of the Pennsylvania House and Senate, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro delivered his fourth budget address in the state capitol on Tuesday, and once again renewed calls to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour. 

This time, however, Shapiro took a new approach to convince lawmakers that a wage hike is needed. He pointed to recent budget cuts made by President Donald Trump’s administration to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as justifications. 

“Raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour will save this Commonwealth $300 million a year on entitlement programs like Medicaid,” Shapiro said during his speech, adding, “not by adding arbitrary and cumbersome requirements that push people who still need help off the rolls but by literally raising the wages of nearly 61,000 people who currently rely on Medicaid and make less than $15 an hour. We can put more money in their pockets so they don’t need Medicaid anymore.” 

It has been more than 15 years since Pennsylvania last changed its minimum wage, which is when the federal government raised the wage to $7.25 per hour in 2009. 

Nineteen states started 2026 by raising the minimum wage, while 30 other states, including all of Pennsylvania’s neighboring states, all have a higher minimum wage than the commonwealth. 

“In that time, every single one of our neighboring states has raised the minimum wage for their workers,” Shapiro said. “Four of our six neighbors are at $15 or more. Ohio is on their way to $15, [and] even West Virginia is ahead of us.”

Democrats in the Pennsylvania House passed legislation raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour over the past couple of years, but Republicans in the Pennsylvania Senate have thwarted any efforts to alter the wage. 

During his speech, Shapiro chastised Senate Republicans for their continued inaction on raising the minimum wage. 

“The House of Representatives has passed legislation to increase our minimum wage twice, and each time, the Senate has refused to act,” Shapiro said. 

“That’s hurting over half a million workers who are still making less than $15 per hour.”