Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said he hopes Democrats prioritize healthcare and food assistance when they take control of Congress in January, though he urged them not to forget to hold the Trump administration accountable.
“I hope one of the first things that the Congress does is to stop these Medicaid cuts, stop the SNAP cuts, roll back the cuts, the effective cuts in the Affordable Care Act,” Shapiro said in an interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that aired Sunday.
Shapiro said that in Pennsylvania alone, 510,000 people are losing healthcare and 143,000 more are losing SNAP or food assistance because of cuts approved during President Donald Trump’s second term.
“In general, though, I think Democrats need to have an aggressive agenda that cuts costs, that ends the war, that gets put on the president’s desk,” he said. “Hopefully, he will sign it, because it’ll be commonsense stuff that makes people’s lives better.”
Trump has said he intends to work with Democrats when Congress begins its new term, though he has also touted a new “VETO”-branded hat since Republicans lost the majority in the midterm elections.
Shapiro said that if Trump chooses to veto Democrats’ legislation, “it’s yet another signal to the American people the president actually doesn’t care about their well-being.”
While he stressed the importance of revitalizing Medicaid and SNAP programs, Shapiro also said Democrats shouldn’t forget to hold the Trump administration accountable.
“I think the Congress needs to be responsive to where voters are on corruption, and there has to be real accountability for this administration,” he said, adding that Democrats need to “walk and chew gum at the same time” to pass effective legislation and “have real accountability for the corruption that exists in Washington.”
“It can’t be either/or,” he said. “It has to be both/and.”
Shapiro said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who is poised to become the next speaker of the House, “has made very clear that both are going to be on the agenda for the first 100 days and for these next two years.”
He said he doesn’t think Democrats should be thinking about the 2028 elections yet. Instead, “we should be thinking about how to make people’s lives better in 2027,” he said.
“It’s incumbent upon the Congress to now do that, and it’s incumbent upon governors now to continue to lead the way in our states,” Shapiro said.
Shapiro, who has been floated as a potential 2028 presidential contender, didn’t commit to running.
Asked whether he is likelier to run than not, Shapiro answered that his focus is on “figuring how we advance policies like raising the minimum wage and many other things that have been blocked by Republicans,” as Pennsylvania Democrats won a majority in the state Legislature on Tuesday.
He also didn’t directly answer whether he was committed to serving his full four-year term.
“Well, I committed to run for governor, and that’s the work I’m focused on doing,” Shapiro said. “And if I’ve got something to say about my future, I’d love to come back on your show and talk about it.”
