Gov. Josh Shapiro reported from Abington Township during a CBS News “Face the Nation” segment, which aired on Sunday, April 21.
Shapiro responded to questions regarding antisemitism and the possibility of “lone actors” targeting Pennsylvanian gatherings ahead of the start of Passover, which begins tomorrow.
Shapiro said that there are no known threats at the moment.
“We’ll let folks know, and communities, if there are specific threats. But we continue to work closely with law enforcement and community leaders to do everything we can to take down the temperature, to address the rise in antisemitism, Islamophobia, other forms of hate,” Shapiro said.
“We’re going to continue to do everything we can to make sure everyone feels protected in this commonwealth,” he said.
He also addressed President Biden’s decision to temporarily pause new natural gas projects.
“Look, I’ve been very clear with the White House, and publicly, I hope that this policy that they put in place is very quick, and then we move forward,” Shapiro said. “Here in Pennsylvania, our energy economy has powered this nation, and it has done so over many generations. And going forward, I think Pennsylvania has an opportunity to be the center of the clean energy economy. Thanks to the president, we’re the only state in the nation with two regional hydrogen hubs.”
The conversation concludes with Shapiro’s thoughts on drug addiction.
“Listen, 13 Pennsylvanians die every single day from an opioid overdose. It is unacceptable. And here in Pennsylvania, we’re trying to come at it with a- a multi-pronged approach. First, we have to understand that drug addiction is a disease, not a crime,” he said. “Now we have to invest in law enforcement. And I have. We’ve increased the number of state troopers by 400, and I’m looking to add another 400. As Attorney General, I arrested over 8,000 drug dealers. So we’re not going soft on those who are peddling these poisons in our community. But we also have to make sure the treatment is available. As Attorney General I led a national coalition that ended up holding those drug companies accountable, the very people that brought this crisis into our communities, and brought $2 billion back to Pennsylvania for treatment.”
The full transcript can be found here. The full segment can be found below:
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Screengrab: CBS