Starting in February, Pennsylvania lawmakers referenced how federal policies could impact state budget decisions. As the state’s budget deadline of June 30th drew near, the U.S. Congress was busy working out their own budget and policy details.

Now— Pennsylvania’s state budget is 8 days late. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is finalized. And state lawmakers no longer have to speculate about details.

"Every one of us is absolutely terrified about what the impact of the bill is going to have on our budget,” said Rep. Mike Schlossberg, the House Democratic Whip.

Today, House Democrats rallied to criticize the One Big Beautiful Bill; several referring to the new law as “The Big Betrayal”. Some policy changes have more immediate impacts on individuals and businesses— like work requirements for SNAP and Medicaid.

But other provisions in the bill shift administrative costs or increase the workload for state departments. For example, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services says they need hundreds of new employees to keep up with increased work requirement tracking starting December, 2026. The department could also get stuck with $125 million in administrative costs for the SNAP program starting in 2028.

In a written statement, Senate President Kim Ward (R) said “While we must make the necessary investments to assist people who truly need help, it is equally important to ensure proper administration and oversight of programs to prevent high error rates."

When asked if federal policies should impact ongoing state budget talks, both Democrats and Republicans said their own policy priorities haven’t changed.

"I mean, some of those cuts, some of these issues are immediate concerns. Some of them are concerns for later down the line,” Schlossberg said. “Frankly, for me and my colleagues, we know what we want to see in the state budget."

“Even if we don’t spend a cent more in this year’s budget, we will be in a deficit in three years, “ Rep. Jesse Topper said, the House Republican Leader. “We need to get our own fiscal house in order, regardless of what’s going on at the federal level."

Earlier in June, several Senate Republican leaders floated the idea of a 6 month budget to “give time to react to federal policies”. With federal policies confirmed, state leaders have the facts and their disagreements to reckon with.

Democrat Governor Josh Shapiro, leadership in House Democrats, and leadership in Senate Republicans continue to negotiate the state’s budget details behind closed doors.

The House is scheduled to return for session next week. Budget watchdogs are waiting to see if and when the Senate schedules session days again.