WILKES-BARRE — The Shapiro Administration this week highlighted National Procurement Month by recognizing modernization achievements made by the Department of General Services (DGS), Bureau of Procurement (BOP) and agency procurement professionals in purchasing goods and services to support Pennsylvanians’ needs every day.
From the purchase of IT infrastructure and software that connects residents to medical care and social services, to the procurement of road salt used to clear snow-covered roads, procurement professionals work behind the scenes to ensure Pennsylvanians have full access to critical services, medicines, goods and job and business opportunities, Shapiro’s office said.
“Making state government more approachable for all citizens has been a focus of the Shapiro-Davis Administration since day one,” said DGS Secretary Reggie McNeil. “DGS’ ultimate goal of providing better services to the people of Pennsylvania is rooted in making the prospect of doing business with state agencies less intimidating and streamlining outdated and confusing processes.”
As the Commonwealth’s central procurement bureau, BOP is responsible for the purchase of goods and services necessary for the safe and effective operations of the state, including securing vehicle contracts that allow Pennsylvania State Police to protect residents and park rangers to patrol state parks, purchasing life-saving medicines the Commonwealth provides to Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable residents, securing contracts to staff medical facilities, delivering counseling services, and opening doors to an array of business opportunities.
Meuser co-sponsors legislation to increase sanctions on Iran
U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Dallas, this week co-sponsored H.R.1422 — the Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025.
Meuser said this bipartisan legislation will strengthen existing sanctions against foreign entities that facilitate Iran’s illicit oil trade — the Iranian regime’s primary revenue stream.
As Iran accelerates its nuclear program, Meuser said the Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act would apply maximum economic pressure to disrupt the Iranian regime’s funding streams and counter its support for terrorism.
Meuser said this legislation will impose new secondary sanctions on banks, financial institutions, insurers, flagging registries and companies involved in pipeline construction and liquefied natural gas operations to prevent foreign entities from helping Iran profit from illicit oil sales.
The legislation requires the State Department to establish an Interagency Working Group on Iranian Sanctions. This group will work with allies through a multilateral contact group to enhance enforcement of sanctions.
At its core, Meuser said this legislation sends a clear message: anyone propping up Iran’s energy sector will be held accountable.
“Iran’s illicit oil trade fuels its terrorist proxies and nuclear ambitions, threatening our national security and endangering our allies in the Middle East,” Meuser said. “This bill severs the financial lifelines propping up terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, holding accountable anyone who enables Iran’s illegal oil trade. By imposing stronger sanctions, we can cut off Iran’s oil revenues, weaken its nuclear pursuits, and enhance regional stability. I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan effort to reinforce our national security and stand behind our allies, especially Israel.”
Meuser said sanctions on Iranian oil have historically been an effective tool in limiting the regime’s financial resources and influence. He said during the first Trump Administration, strict sanctions were imposed, reducing Iran’s foreign reserves to approximately $4 billion by the time President Trump left office.
In contrast, Meuser said the subsequent lifting of many of these sanctions under the Biden Administration allowed Iran’s reserves to grow to an estimated $90 billion, a significant portion of which was used to finance proxy terror in the region.
H.R.1422 has been referred to the Foreign Affairs and Judiciary Committee for further consideration.
Fetterman leads introduction of School Lunch Debt Cancellation Act
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Braddock, this week introduced legislation that would direct the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to pay off all outstanding student meal debt.
The legislation — the School Lunch Debt Cancellation Act — also would grant the USDA new authority to purchase food for food banks.
“‘School lunch debt’ is a term so absurd that is shouldn’t even exist,” Fetterman said. “We must protect students’ access to healthy foods and stand with working families.”
There are more than 20 million children in the U.S. who can’t afford their school meals, and the national public school meal debt is a whopping $176 million each year.
In Pennsylvania alone, there are nearly half a million food insecure children who collectively owe nearly $234 million in total debt.
AG joins coalition in proposal to end Google monopoly
Attorney General Dave Sunday this week joined a bipartisan coalition of 38 state Attorneys General and the U.S. Justice Department in proposing a final package of resolutions to end Google’s illegal monopoly over internet search engines and restore competition to the benefit of consumers nationwide.
The resolutions regard Google’s prevalence as the default search engine, most notably on Android and Apple devices. If approved, the proposal would prohibit Google from making payments to those companies to maintain their presence on Android and Apple devices.
“To ‘Google’ is used synonymously with searching for something online, and this coalition strongly believes that is due to monopolistic practices that have gone on for far too long,” AG Sunday said.
The package of solutions proposes a ban on all search-related payments from Google to distribution partners, including Apple and Android partners.
A hearing on the proposed remedies is scheduled to begin April 21 and conclude by May 9.