HARRISBURG – To give taxpayers the transparency they deserve, Sen. Jarrett Coleman (R-16) published Gov. Josh Shapiro’s flight logs for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s (PennDOT) private airplane.
In 2024, taxpayers spent more than $300,000 on flights for Shapiro and Lt. Gov. Austin Davis both inside and outside the commonwealth.
The flights include trips to throw the first pitch for the third National League Division Series game, attend the Penn State versus Michigan football game, view the solar eclipse with his family and visit Hilton Head, South Carolina – among others.
“The information I posted on my website is only available because of extensive research my staff and I conducted by referencing Shapiro’s daily calendar, social media updates and media reports. Taxpayers don’t have the time for all that legwork and shouldn’t have to play detective anyway,” Coleman said.
The potential inappropriate use of PennDOT’s private aircraft and a State Police plane by Shapiro and Davis initially surfaced as Coleman and other members of the Senate Appropriations Committee reviewed information in preparation for budget hearings that are designed to ensure state dollars are used wisely.
State law has required PennDOT to post logs of the airplane’s use that include cost and names of passengers for more than a decade, but no similar law governs State Police aviation.
“The data provided by PennDOT is woefully inadequate. The PennDOT logs are full of inaccuracies and omissions. These errors mask the true use of the airplane and thwart a comprehensive evaluation of their use,” Coleman said.
Shapiro’s flight logs, as best as Coleman was able to piece them together, are available on Coleman’s website.
CONTACT: Leo Knepper, 717-787-1349