The Pennsylvania state budget was due to be passed by June 30 yet here we are, weeks later, and we’ve got nothing - largely due to Republican unwillingness to fund public transportation in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Republican State Senate leader Joe Pittman (41st District population 254,701) brushed off concerns, “We have seen this movie before, and on July 1 the sun will come up and I don’t think the good people of Pennsylvania will notice any difference in their daily lives.” Try saying that now to the 700,000 daily riders on SEPTA who face steep service cuts because of Republican unwillingness to find adequate funding. 700,000 riders who are just trying to get to work each day or hoping to get to a Phillies, Eagles or Flyers game, or to see the Flower Show. They are Republicans and Democrats, their commutes bringing them all together in a common car, with a common goal, to get where they need to go. If only our Republican politicians could take a page out of that book. The sun is up, and yes, Joe, there will be a difference in the daily lives of these good people of Pennsylvania. This crisis is not a surprise. SEPTA has been warning of this looming financial shortfall since September, 2024. Yet Republicans have sat on their hands, refusing to take serious sustainable funding steps. House Democrats passed a bi-partisan funding bill to fund SEPTA which included concessions Republicans had asked for, only to run into the Republican-controlled Senate brick wall of disapproval (and Joe Pittman’s golf date). And now that the SEPTA funding deadline has passed, Joe Picozzi, Philadelphia’s only Republican State Senator dares to say, “We do not have time for a forever solution.” Whose fault is that? Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward (39th District population 261,704) plays Kick the Can Down the Road, proposing a six month stop gap budget bandaid and House Minority Leader Jesse Topper (78th District population 62,267) accuses Democrats of playing “the blame game.” Way to deflect while not doing your jobs, guys, as the 700,000 daily SEPTA and 230,000 daily Pittsburgh Regional Transit riders, these good people of Pennsylvania, are left to scramble to find ways to get to theirs.