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  • European cargo ships are rerouting to Philadelphia as Baltimore struggles to replace Key Bridge

    European cargo ships are rerouting to Philadelphia as Baltimore struggles to replace Key Bridge

    Two top trans-Atlantic shippers are moving their cargoes to Philadelphia-area terminals, boosting longshore and trucking jobs, and ending Baltimore port calls as work drags on replacing the Key Bridge, whose collapse 21 months ago crippled ship traffic to that city’s harbor.

    A.P. Moller-Maersk, based in Denmark, and German-based Hapag-Lloyd AG, which each rank among the top five global container companies and operate hundreds of ships carrying millions of trailers, have switched a major route for their Gemini joint venture to the PhilaPort’s Packer Avenue Marine Terminal, effective Jan. 4, Philadelphia-based Holt Logistics told customers in a note Wednesday.

    “Rising tide lifts all boats, and that includes the waterfront labor, plus all the other ancillary support folks that run freight, handle it, and store it,” said Leo Holt, whose family operates Holt Logistics. “It’s a big win for Philadelphia, and a harbinger of good things to come.”

    Holt, based in Gloucester City, is expanding its container operations in the Port of Philadelphia on land acquired by state port agency PhilaPort in South Philly. That includes a new cold-storage warehouse. Plans are still in the works for 152 acres bought with state funds for more container and automotive storage.

    Philadelphia’s port handles wine, meat, furniture, car parts, drugs, and many other container goods. The region also exports drugs, steel, and machine and vehicle parts. Singaporean-owned Penn Terminals in Delaware County and the Port of Wilmington, Del., also handle containers.

    Philadelphia recorded the equivalent of 841,000 20-foot trailer equivalents (TEUs) through area ports last year and expects to report more for 2025, even before the new service and additional lines to Australia and New Zealand start next year. The agency’s goal is to boost that to more than 2 million a year with the planned expansion, said spokesperson Sean Mahoney.

    Philadelphia-area container shipping has nearly doubled since Jeff Theobold took over as PhilaPort executive director in 2016, while overall U.S. container volume has risen about 30%. Theobold plans to retire in June, two months after PhilaPort’s new cruise ship terminal is scheduled to open in Delaware County near Philadelphia International Airport. The agency is searching for a successor.

    Philadelphia “will replace Baltimore” on a major trans-Atlantic route used by Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk, according to a report in Freightwaves, which noted Baltimore container traffic fell from 1.3 million 20-foot-trailer equivalents in 2023 to around 700,000 last year, even before the switch. Each ship on the route carries 5,000 to 6,500 TEUs.

    The new route also moves container ships between Newark, N.J., terminals that handle New York cargoes; Norfolk, Va.; St. John in Canada; the British port of Southampton; the Netherlands’ giant Rotterdam port at the mouth of the Rhine; and the German ports of Wilhelmshaven and Hamburg.

    That adds Germany to the list of countries with direct service to Philadelphia, Mahoney said. There’s no guarantee that all the Baltimore cargoes will shift to Philadelphia.

    Philadelphia also expects more ships from Australia and New Zealand ports as two lines that service those countries via the Panama Canal have recently added Philadelphia as their Northern U.S. port, Mahoney said. Already those countries and other South Pacific ports make up close to one-quarter of the Philadelphia area’s container cargoes, making it the leading East Coast port for shipments from that region. PhilaPort expects the lines will attract cargoes now shipped to Baltimore, New York, or Norfolk.

    Newark is the largest port complex in the Northeast. Philadelphia competes with Baltimore and southern ports for container and automotive cargoes.

    Philadelphia has the fastest arrival-to-departure time of any North American port, reducing shipping costs, according to a recent report by a World Bank subsidiary. Holt attributes that to cooperation between unions including International Longshoreman’s Association, and Teamsters locals, port agencies, and owners such as PhilaPort, and his own organization.

    Next year Holt plans to add two more tall cranes to the small forest of ship unloading equipment it maintains in South Philly and Gloucester City.

  • Middletown Township welcomes first full-service hotel ahead of major tourism events in Delco

    Middletown Township welcomes first full-service hotel ahead of major tourism events in Delco

    On a frigid Tuesday morning, stakeholders from across Delaware County toasted champagne and popped mini pastries under the roof of Middletown Township’s new Hilton Garden Inn.

    “We may be the only Hilton Garden Inn in the world that serves Wawa coffee and drinks it all the time,” quipped hotel owner Patrick J. Burns, standing before a sea of family members, hotel staffers, business associates, and elected officials.

    The 107-room, 67,000-square-foot Hilton, located off Baltimore Pike at the former Franklin Mint site, is open and welcoming guests. It’s the 42nd hotel in Delaware County and first full-service hotel in Middletown Township.

    The hotel features app-to-room device integration, mobile key and contactless check-in, meeting and banquet spaces, an outdoor patio with fire pits, a fitness center, and the Garden Grill, a restaurant serving “American cuisine with local flair” that will be open to the public.

    The hotel is long awaited, borne from a yearslong planning process and delayed by pandemic-era construction slowdowns. On Tuesday, attendees expressed gratitude that what was once an economic dream for the township was finally becoming reality.

    The Hilton marks an important expansion of the collar county’s tourism economy, according to Delaware County’s major economic stakeholders. And as far as tourism in Delco, they say, it’s only up from here.

    The bar area off of the lobby at the new Hilton Garden Inn of Middletown Township on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025.

    Delaware County hosted 4.5 million visitors in 2024, according to Steve Bryne, executive director of Visit Delco. Those visitors spent $860 million, generated $1.2 billion in economic impact, and sustained 13,000 jobs. In 2025, the county is on track to sell more than one million hotel room nights for the first time in its history.

    Representatives from the Hilton say it created 200 construction jobs and 40 new hospitality jobs.

    Bryne said tourism to Delaware County is a “combination of everything.” The county doesn’t have one major anchor (like Longwood Gardens in Chester County, for example). Rather, it’s home to 12 colleges and universities, major corporate employers like Wawa, and sports complexes like IceWorks and Subaru Park, home of the Philadelphia Union. That means regular tournaments, business conferences, parents weekends, homecomings, and graduations — events that, collectively, help power the county’s economy.

    Already, Penn State Brandywine, located down the road, has named the Hilton Garden Inn its host hotel.

    Delaware County also gets spillover from visitors to Philadelphia, especially those who want proximity to Philadelphia International Airport.

    The hotel is a property of Metro Philly Management, owned by Burns. Burns’ management company also owns the Courtyard by Marriott in Springfield, the Fairfield Inn & Suites in Broomall, and the Springfield Country Club, as well as numerous grocery stores and restaurants.

    Patrick J. Burns, pictured at Middletown Township’s new Hilton Garden Inn on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. The hotel is owned by Burns’ company, Metro Philly Management.

    Stakeholders lauded the hotel’s location in a central, and rapidly developing, part of Middletown Township.

    The former Franklin Mint complex, now home to the Hilton, has been a hotbed of development in Middletown Township since the mint shuttered in 2004. Two newer housing developments — Pond’s Edge and Franklin Station — have added over 450 units of housing to the site. Middletown Township outpaced its neighbors — Media, Nether Providence, and Upper Providence — in population growth in 2024.

    “Middletown Township is such a vital corridor of Delaware County,” Burns said.

    The hotel’s opening coincides with major events coming to the region in the coming months: semiquincentennial celebrations in Philadelphia and in Delco, the FIFA World Cup, the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club, and the MLB All-Star Game. For the PGA Championship alone, Delaware County is expecting 200,000 visitors and $125 million in economic impact.

    This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.

  • How much snow fell near you, mapped

    How much snow fell near you, mapped

    The Philadelphia region’s first snowfall of the season ended up having quite a March-like quality.

    Totals generally ranged from 4 to 8 inches, but the snow literally was so heavy that the average shoveler may have had a hard time discerning the difference.

    “When I was shoveling my car out, it felt rough,” said Michael Silva, meteorologist at the National Weather Service Office in Mount Holly. Silva lives in Mount Laurel, where an unofficial 7 inches was reported.

    The snow was so weighty because it had a high liquid content, the result of temperatures close to the freezing mark, as so often happens in March. The borderline temperatures also would help explain the range in accumulations, he said.

    The snow glommed onto the trees, weighing down branches. In fact it took down a branch outside the Mount Holly office that damaged a federal car (sorry, taxpayers).

    The highest amounts, just over 8 inches, were recorded in Chester and Bucks Counties.

    Officially, at Philadelphia International Airport, where temperatures didn’t get below freezing until midmorning Sunday, 4.2 inches was measured.

    By contrast, Boston has measured only 3.1 inches so far.

    Here are the snowfall totals posted by the weather service as of 10 a.m. Monday.

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  • These Philly government buildings and services are delayed today due to snowy weather

    These Philly government buildings and services are delayed today due to snowy weather

    Philadelphia’s first measurable snowfall has hit the streets, delaying the city’s opening.

    City of Philadelphia offices delayed their openings until 10 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 15, after a weekend snowfall. Local schools including the Philadelphia School District were also on a two-hour delay.

    All cases and hearings in Philadelphia Courts, both in-person and virtual, scheduled for Monday will be held two hours later than originally scheduled.

    Trash and recycling pickup remain unaffected and operating on their regular schedule.

    Bitter cold temperatures hit the region last night, allowing many of the roads locals use to commute to work to get icy overnight. The region saw snowfall totals ranging from 4.2 inches at the Philadelphia International Airport to 7 or 8 inches in some suburbs, said Alex Staarmann, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Mount Holly.

    The Office of Emergency Management urged travelers to use caution on sidewalks and roads. “Cold temperatures can create refreeze and black ice conditions and high wind gusts can cause blowing snow and reduce visibility while driving,” the office said in a statement. Drivers can check road conditions at 511pa.com.

    The Office of Homeless Services has declared an “Enhanced Cold Blue,” opening warming centers for anyone to visit. Extra outreach teams will engage with people they see living or sleeping outdoors. Find a warming center using the city’s online map tool.

    Severe cold can negatively impact your health and home. The Office of Emergency Management has shared an online guide on bracing for the cold weather and protecting your household.

  • American Airlines faces lawsuit over flight attendant wages in Philadelphia

    American Airlines faces lawsuit over flight attendant wages in Philadelphia

    An American Airlines flight attendant who works out of the Philadelphia International Airport is suing the airline, alleging that flight attendants aren’t properly paid for all of their time on the job.

    Flight attendants are required to arrive early at the airport and help board and deplane passengers, but these and some other parts of the travel process are not usually counted in payroll and don’t count toward overtime, according to the lawsuit.

    Flight attendant Christopher John filed a complaint in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas in October and later moved to federal court in Philadelphia. John is suing on behalf of himself and other flight attendants for American Airlines based out of PHL as far back as October 2022, the complaint said.

    The airline “generally does not credit or pay” flight attendants for the hour or two prior to a flight’s departure time, time spent boarding passengers before a flight and deplaning them upon arrival, or time spent traveling on a shuttle to and from hotels on stopover flights.

    All of these activities “fall squarely within their day-to-day job duties,” the complaint reads.

    American Airlines has argued that the Pennsylvania Minimum Wage Act — which establishes a minimum wage and overtime rate in the state — does not apply to this case because the flight attendants have a union contract that outlines pay practices.

    American Airlines said in a motion to dismiss the case that the state law “expressly exempts ‘employe[es] of an air carrier’ from its overtime requirements if their ‘hours of work, wages, and overtime compensation’ are governed by a collective bargaining agreement.”

    American Airlines flight attendants are represented by the Association of Professional Flight Attendants. A recent union contract for those employees started in September 2024 and ends in September 2029. As of last year, the union represented some 28,000 American Airlines flight attendants.

    The attorney for the flight attendant, Peter Winebrake, declined to comment on the case. Lawyers for American Airlines at O’Melveny & Myers did not immediately provide a comment.

    American Airlines travelers wait for assistance on a morning in August 2024 when many flights were canceled due to severe weather in Florida.

    How are flight attendants compensated?

    Typically, flight attendants — regardless of their airline — have not been paid for time before the plane closes its doors, such as when boarding travelers. (Airlines have argued that the time spent on the ground is compensated because of the pay structure that promises a minimum of one hour paid flight time for every two hours of duty.)

    But that’s beginning to change at some airlines.

    Last year, American Airlines flight attendants secured a contract including pay for time spent boarding passengers, and Delta started partially compensating employees for this time in 2022.

    In August, Air Canada flight attendants went on strike for three days amid contract negotiations in which they sought to secure pay for time spent working on the ground before a plane takes off or after it lands. Flight attendants rejected a tentative agreement in September, with a union leader saying the airline did not bargain in good faith on wages.

    In the U.S., flight attendants must get permission from the federal government in order to strike.

    American Airlines, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, is the largest carrier at PHL, carrying nearly 20 million passengers through the airport in 2024.

    The airline is the ninth largest employer in Philadelphia County, according to the state’s Department of Labor and Industry. The median pay of flight attendants in the U.S. was $67,130 last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    American Airlines employs over 10,000 people in the Philadelphia area, including 2,567 flight attendants, according to the company’s website.

    Staff reporter Abraham Gutman contributed to this article.

  • Plan to keep a Rocky statue at the top of the Art Museum steps moves forward

    Plan to keep a Rocky statue at the top of the Art Museum steps moves forward

    Keep punching, Rocky.

    Creative Philadelphia’s proposal to permanently install a Rocky statue at the top of the Philadelphia Art Museum’s famed steps is one step closer to reality following a Philadelphia Art Commission meeting Wednesday, though the plan fell short of receiving final approval following a mixed vote. Three commissioners voted to approve the concept, while one disapproved and two abstained.

    And, in perhaps bigger news to supporters, if the plan goes through, the screen-used statue that sits at the bottom of the Art Museum steps would be moved to the top thanks to what appears to be a change of heart from the Italian Stallion himself, Sylvester Stallone. Initially, the city planned to give the original statue back to Stallone, who gifted it to Philadelphia decades ago, and keep the other casting that now sits at the top of the Art Museum steps.

    “In response to the strong and heartfelt feedback from the public, Mr. Stallone has graciously decided that we will no longer move forward with the proposed statue swap,” chief cultural officer Valerie V. Gay said at Wednesday’s meeting. “This outcome reflects our shared commitment to listening deeply to the community and doing what is best for both the art and the people who cherish it.”

    Now, the city would keep the original, commissioned by Stallone for 1982’s Rocky III, while the second casting — reportedly purchased for about $403,000 at an auction in 2017 — would go back into the actor’s private collection. The second casting has been on (supposedly temporary) display at the top of the Art Museum’s iconic steps since last December, when Stallone lent it to the city for the inaugural RockyFest, which celebrates the Rocky franchise.

    What will happen, however, remained up in the air following Wednesday’s meeting. Commission members largely cited concerns over accessibility and feasibility with moving the Rocky statue to the top of the Art Museum steps, but ultimately approved the concept on the condition that Creative Philadelphia present further information before a future vote for final approval. The art commission is next slated to meet Jan. 14, members said Wednesday.

    The goal, Gay said, is to have only one Rocky statue at the Art Museum, and install another, as-yet-unannounced, city-owned statue at the bottom of the building’s steps where the original Rocky statue now stands.

    “It will not be Rocky,” Gay said. Philly, it should be noted, has a third Rocky statue at Philadelphia International Airport, which made its debut late last month in Terminal A-West.

    If approved, the plan would get underway next year. As part of “Rising Up: Rocky and the Making of Monuments,” an Art Museum exhibit slated to run from April to August, the original Rocky statue would be displayed inside the museum for the first time, while the loaner remains outside. At the conclusion of that exhibit, the original would be moved outside to the top of the Art Museum’s steps for its permanent installation, and the loaner would go back to Stallone, officials said Wednesday.

    Years of moves and debate

    Wednesday’s meeting marked yet another chapter in the Rocky statue’s controversial history in town. It arrived for the filming of Rocky III, but when the shoot wrapped in 1981, a permanent location had not been approved, causing it to be shipped back to Los Angeles. It ultimately came back and was temporarily exhibited again at the top of the Art Museum steps before being moved back and forth several times between that location and the Spectrum at the stadium complex in South Philly.

    Over the years, the statue has ignited public debate about whether it should be displayed at the Art Museum, and whether it is art in the first place. Still, it has been on display at the foot of the museum’s steps since 2006, where it has served as a draw for tourists and residents alike, attracting an estimated 4 million visitors per year, Creative Philadelphia officials said.

    Inquirer readers largely said in September that the statue temporarily installed at the top has overstayed its welcome, with about 46% of respondents to one poll saying no Rocky statue belongs at the top of the steps, but the one at the bottom should stay. Roughly 20% said the city should not have a Rocky statue at all.

    Gay, however, said Wednesday that the proposed permanent Rocky statue installation offers a chance to “allow art to bring our community together” and encourage visitors to the statue to take in the art on display inside the museum.

    “This is absolutely an amazing opportunity to expand our connection, our community’s connection, with art,” she said.

  • How are things at PHL right now? Our live tracker is following the Thanksgiving surge.

    How are things at PHL right now? Our live tracker is following the Thanksgiving surge.

    There’s always some anxiety that comes with heading to the airport. This week, maybe more so.

    AAA predicts nearly 82 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles for Thanksgiving, a U.S. record if it stands. Even with concerns about the reliability of air travel, AAA reports about 6 million people will fly to their destination this week, a glut of humanity that could jam airports nationwide.

    Air traffic at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) has been running relatively smoothly since the government shutdown ended, Inquirer analysis shows.

    But an onslaught of holiday passengers could quickly change that.

    Are you headed to PHL? Use our charts below to get a glimpse of how the airport is functioning today. The charts will update every hour through Jan. 1 and reset every morning at 4 a.m.

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    Nearly half of the flights at PHL were delayed or canceled at PHL during the climax of the federal government shutdown, which lasted until Nov. 12. Analysis shows delays and cancellations have returned to normal levels since, with disruptions generally affecting less than 20% of flights a day.

    Fewer than five flights a day have been canceled for the last week at PHL.

    In the lead up to the holiday weekend, Frontier Airlines was experiencing the most disruptions. More than 40% of the company’s flights in and out of PHL were delayed or canceled last weekend, analysis of PHL flight board data shows.

    PHL offers flights from 15 airlines. The chart below shows what percentage of the most active airlines’ flights are delayed or canceled.

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    What about my flight?

    PHL offers up-to-date information for each flight arriving or departing from its gates on its website. However, airport officials recommend checking with your airline for more specific information.

    A traveler enters the TSA PreCheck security line at Terminals E-F at Philadelphia International Airport in October.

    Security wait times

    As of Monday morning, all six security checkpoints at PHL were open. TSA PreCheck is available at Terminals A-East, C and D/E.

    Current security wait times are available on PHL’s website.

    Weather outlook

    Leaving Philly: Rain could slow things down Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. Some wind may linger into the weekend, but otherwise flying out of Philadelphia looks fairly unhindered. What’s happening at your destination could, of course, change this.

    Coming to Philly: Elsewhere in the country, NWS forecasts show a broad area of low pressure affecting the eastern half of the country with rain Tuesday into Wednesday. Later in the weekend, weather systems could affect the Midwest, Northwest and Rocky Mountains, potentially complicating travel from those locations.

  • Philly airport to reopen two TSA checkpoints closed during government shutdown

    Philly airport to reopen two TSA checkpoints closed during government shutdown

    Philadelphia International Airport will reopen two U.S. Transportation Security Administration-run security checkpoints that were closed two weeks ago amid the government shutdown.

    PHL’s Terminal A-West and Terminal F security checkpoints are slated to reopen Thursday, the airport announced via social media. Once opened, the checkpoints will operate on their regular schedules, with Terminal A-West running from 5 a.m. to 10:15 p.m., and Terminal F running from 4:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

    “We appreciate your patience as we collaborated with the TSA to maintain efficient security operations,” the airport said. “And thank you to our staff for supporting travelers throughout the closure.”

    The airport closed those terminals on Nov. 5 at the request of the TSA, which was affected by the then-ongoing shutdown of the federal government. Amid the shutdown, which began Oct. 1, roughly 800 TSA officers continued screening luggage and staffing airport checkpoints without pay, and employees with the agency missed their first full paychecks on Oct. 24, The Inquirer reported.

    The checkpoints’ closures, airport officials said, were temporary, though no date for their return was provided at the time they were shuttered. Checkpoints at Terminals A-East, B, C, and D/E remained operational.

    The shutdown also brought a flight-reduction order from the Federal Aviation Administration, which required airlines to, in phases, eliminate 10% of their scheduled trips at 40 of the nation’s busiest airports — PHL included. Designed to ease pressure on air traffic controllers, who were experiencing staffing shortages, that order caused a number of flight delays and cancellations at PHL and other airports around the country.

    The flight-reduction order was lifted Sunday, when the FAA retracted its mandate following the end of the shutdown last week. Federal legislators on Nov. 12 reached a deal to fund the government through at least Jan. 30, stopping the shutdown after 43 days — the longest stoppage in history.

    Flight schedules at PHL were expected to return to normal quickly. That return to normal, as well as the reopening of the two formerly closed TSA checkpoints, comes just ahead of the holiday travel season, which the airport expects to bring about 1 million passengers through its gates between Friday and Dec. 2.

  • Flight schedules will return to normal at PHL ahead of Thanksgiving and holiday travel season

    Flight schedules will return to normal at PHL ahead of Thanksgiving and holiday travel season

    Flight schedules should soon return to normal across major U.S. airports, including Philadelphia, after the FAA lifted government shutdown-related flight restrictions for airlines.

    The Federal Aviation Administration retracted its order at more than 40 airports on Sunday night. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy initially told airlines to eliminate 10% of their scheduled flights starting on Nov. 7 in response to “concerning data” that showed pressure on the national aviation system and on air traffic controllers who were experiencing staffing shortages amid the federal government shutdown.

    Now that the federal government has passed a bill to fund the government until at least Jan. 30, federal agencies and workers, including those across the aviation system, are heading back to work.

    “Today’s decision to rescind the order reflects the steady decline in staffing concerns across the National Airspace System and allows us to return to normal operations,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said in a statement. “I am grateful for the hard work of the FAA safety and operations teams and for their focus on the safety of the traveling public.”

    Air traffic at the Philadelphia International Airport on Nov. 6.

    American Airlines, which operates 75% of the flights in and out of Philadelphia International Airport, is ready to bounce back swiftly after flight restrictions are lifted, a spokesperson said.

    “American is ready for business, and we are serving customers with a full schedule in advance of the Thanksgiving and year-end holidays,” said Bri Harper, American Airlines’ spokesperson for the Northeast region.

    Recovering from the FAA-ordered flight reductions won’t be a huge task, said Mike Taylor, J.D. Power’s practice lead for travel, and will likely be resolved in a matter of days.

    “A matter of two or three days is generally all it takes,” Taylor said. “So I think they want to get that ball rolling well in advance of holiday travel so that there’s less hassle when holiday travel picks up in a week and a half from now.”

    PHL’s major airlines, including American, United, and Delta, don’t expect any major hiccups associated with restoring flights after the FAA-ordered flight reductions.

    United CEO Scott Kirby lauded employees during the chaotic period of cancellations in a LinkedIn post. While Nov. 8 and 9 set records in staffing shortage-driven cancellations and delays at the FAA, he wrote, Kirby said United customers gave the airline their fourth- and fifth-highest satisfaction scores of the year on those days.

    Delta CEO Ed Bastian told CBS, “The system should return to normal by the weekend.”

  • The Shapiro administration has posted messages blaming Republicans for the government shutdown, impacts to SNAP benefits

    The Shapiro administration has posted messages blaming Republicans for the government shutdown, impacts to SNAP benefits

    As nearly 2 million Pennsylvanians brace for the loss of their food assistance next month due to the federal government shutdown, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services is pinning the blame on Republicans on Capitol Hill.

    States administer the federally funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides support to low-income people, including families with children. But as the standoff in Congress prevents federal funding from flowing to states, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration entered the messaging battle over the cause of the disruption to benefits.

    “Because Republicans in Washington D.C., failed to pass a federal budget, causing the federal government shutdown, November 2025 SNAP benefits cannot be paid,“ reads a pastel orange banner on the DHS website from Friday, alerting recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to the impending changes.

    The message reflects the mounting impacts of the government shutdown, which is in its third full week, and the growing political tensions between Republicans and Democrats on the state and national levels after lawmakers failed to pass funding to avert a government shutdown by Oct. 1.

    Shapiro has frequently gone head-to-head with the Trump administration, but the use of a state government website is a notable escalation.

    The governor said in a news release Monday that Congress already had kicked off hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians from Medicaid and SNAP when it passed President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act in July.

    “Now, Republicans are once again threatening vital support for Pennsylvania families and children — it’s time for them to pass a federal budget and end this shutdown.”

    Pennsylvania Human Services Secretary Val Arkoosh added that “Inaction from Republicans in Congress” jeopardizes the well-being of Pennsylvanians.

    A significant impact will be felt next month in Philadelphia, where half a million people will not receive SNAP benefits. The program, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, serves households including elderly people, individuals with disabilities, and children.

    Another Democratic-led state, Illinois, also referred to the lapse in funding as the “Republican federal government shutdown” on its benefits webpage. Other Democratic-led states near Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, have not posted political messages on their states’ SNAP benefits pages.

    Republicans in Pennsylvania criticized the use of the DHS website for a partisan message.

    “Public service isn’t a political weapon and using a government website to fuel your partisan agenda is indefensible,” the Pennsylvania GOP wrote Monday in a post on X.

    However, the Trump administration has also been using its official government websites for partisan rhetoric on the national level, potentially raising red flags related to federal ethics laws.

    The shutdown is “Democrat-led,” says the Trump administration’s State Department website.

    “The Radical Left in Congress shut down the government,” declares a bright red banner on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development homepage.

    The rising political pressure comes as the Trump administration began rolling out highly politicized messaging to the public and federal employees after the government shutdown began earlier this month.

    Last week, Philadelphia International Airport and other airports refused to play a video from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that inculpates Democratic members of Congress for the shutdown.

    And some federal workers — nonpartisan civil servants who have been coping with plummeting morale and either being furloughed or working without pay during the shutdown — have been on the receiving end of politicized messaging, too.

    A message to federal employees ahead of the Oct. 1 funding deadline proclaims that Trump “opposes a government shutdown.”

    Any lapse in appropriations, the message continues, is “forced by Congressional Democrats.”