In the wake of the bombing of his official residence earlier this year, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is now facing questions about how he spends tax money on security upgrades for his private home.
A GOP-led committee in the state legislature voted Tuesday to issue three subpoenas seeking records related to, among other things, roughly $1 million in security upgrades to his personal home in the Philadelphia suburbs. The Intergovernmental Operations Committee also requests documents relating to “several charter flights arranged for the Governor’s Office” in mid-January.
The three subpoenas will be sent to the Pennsylvania State Police, the open records officer in the local municipality of Shapiro’s private residence and the charter company. They have until January 16, 2026 to comply.
In this April 13, 2025, file photo, damage is shown after an arsonist sets fire to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s residence in a targeted attack in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images, FILE
In a statement to ABC News, a spokesperson for the governor called the move a “partisan attack” and said they had already provided some information.
“The Pennsylvania State Police and independent security experts conducted extensive reviews to identify security gaps, review protocols, identify gaps and make concrete recommendations to improve the Governor’s security. As a direct result of those recommendations, security improvements have been implemented to keep the Governor and his family safe,” the spokesperson said. “The Shapiro administration has repeatedly responded to legislators’ inquiries on this matter and has publicly released a substantial amount of information about security improvements implemented by PSP without compromising those security protocols.”
The Democratic governor is among several rumored contenders for his party’s 2028 presidential nomination. As his political star has risen, so have threats against him and other high-profile figures.
The security improvements were recommended after the arson attack on the governor’s official residence in Harrisburg in April.
In this April 13, 2025, file photo, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro speaks during a news conference outside the Governor’s Mansion after an arsonist sets fire to the Governor’s Residence in a targeted attack in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images, FILE
The attack occurred in the middle of the night, hours after the Shapiro family hosted more than two dozen people for the first night of Passover. Some Republicans in the legislature have said that while adequate protections are appropriate — particularly amid rising political violence — they accuse the governor of failing to be transparent.
“No one disputes that the governor should have reasonable and adequate security protection or that the governor should have access to transportation for reasonable and appropriate travel associated with this role,” state Sen. Jarrett Coleman, chairman of the Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee, told the committee while introducing a motion to authorize the subpoenas. “But no administration – Republican or Democrat – should be allowed to operate in the shadows and refuse to provide basic data about its decisions when millions of dollars of taxpayer funds are at stake and precedents are being set.”
In this April 13, 2025, file photo, extensive fire damage is seen at the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion and the residence of Gov. Josh Shapiro during a news conference in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images, FILE
The subpoenas were authorized by a 7-4 vote within the party. Committee Democrats objected to the formal records requests, with Sen. Jay Costa calling them a “fishing expedition.”
The subpoenas seek, among other things, Pennsylvania State Police records related to “any construction, landscaping/landscaping, equipment and installation,” as well as related legal services at the governor’s private family home, as well as police body camera footage of the grounds between September 20, 2025 and November 19, 2025.
They are also looking for text messages, emails and other communications between State Police, building services and the local municipality related to the improvement work that may shed light on how decisions about the improvements were made.
They also seek township records and correspondence, including communications between the local zoning officer and Shapiro or his wife.
