Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is facing subpoenas from a GOP-led legislative committee seeking records about roughly $1 million in security upgrades to his private suburban Philadelphia home and related matters following an arson attack on the governor’s official residence.
On Tuesday, the state Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee voted along party lines, 7-4, to issue three subpoenas seeking documents from the Pennsylvania State Police, the open records officer in the township where Shapiro’s private home is located, and a charter flight company. The entities have until Jan. 16, 2026, to comply.
The committee is requesting records tied to construction, landscaping/hardscaping, equipment and installation work, and related legal services at the governor’s private family residence. It also seeks police body camera footage from the grounds between Sept. 20, 2025, and Nov. 19, 2025, and texts, emails and other communications among State Police, construction services and the local township that could illuminate how decisions about the upgrades were made. Township records requested include communications between the local zoning officer and Shapiro or his wife. Separately, the committee seeks documents related to “several charter flights arranged for the Governor’s Office” in mid-January.
Committee Chairman Sen. Jarrett Coleman, a Republican, said while reasonable security protections and transportation for an elected official are appropriate, lawmakers should have access to basic data when taxpayer funds and precedents are involved. “No administration — Republican or Democrat — should be allowed to operate in the shadows and refuse to provide basic data about their decisions when millions of dollars of taxpayer funds are involved and precedents are being set,” he said.
Committee Democrats objected to the subpoenas, with Sen. Jay Costa calling the requests a “fishing expedition.”
A spokesperson for Gov. Shapiro called the subpoenas a “partisan attack,” saying the administration has already provided information. The statement noted that the Pennsylvania State Police and independent security experts conducted reviews after the April arson at the governor’s mansion to identify security failures and recommend improvements, and that those recommendations led to security measures intended to protect the governor and his family. The spokesperson added the administration has publicly released substantial information about the security improvements without compromising protocols.
Shapiro, a Democrat and a rumored contender for the party’s 2028 presidential nomination, has faced increased threats as his national profile has risen. The security upgrades under scrutiny were recommended following the targeted firebombing of the official governor’s residence in Harrisburg in April, an attack that occurred hours after the Shapiro family had hosted more than two dozen people for the first night of Passover. Some Republican lawmakers say they remain concerned about transparency despite acknowledging the need for enhanced protections amid rising political violence.