Nikil Saval

Trump’s attack on Venezuela and abduction of its President are criminal acts of terror. They follow in the darkest traditions of American history: a violent, reckless flex of military power to gain control over foreign resources.

Some books I read this year and loved, plus a spotlight on local authors! What’s on your list of recommended reads for 2025? 📚

My statement on today’s shameful Senate vote. What our Commonwealth needs from its legislators is leadership, for those of us who have the honor of sitting on the Senate Floor to do our jobs and pass a budget that invests in Pennsylvania’s people and communities.

My statement on Congress’s passage of Trump’s devastating tax and spending bill. My office will continue to fight—legislatively, organizationally, in the streets—for a new vision in which all of us have what we need to thrive.

Solidarity with DC33! Together we can stand strong with the workers and help them hold the line.

This bill would be disastrous for my constituents, for Pennsylvania, for everyone. We need our U.S. Senators to hold the line against a budget that would let Trump line the pockets of his billionaire backers through robbing us of everything we’ve created to care for each other.

The SEPTA Board’s budget vote is a sobering reminder of what’s at stake in the fight for fully funded transit in PA. All of us rely on public transportation, and our communities can’t afford the proposed cuts. Know we are continuing to fight in Harrisburg for robust state funds to keep SEPTA moving.

Elated, proud, and frankly in tears at the incredible victory of my friend @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social. A campaign for the ages: full of heart, integrity, compassion, relentlessly focused on the struggles of the working-class. Grateful at what he’s done and will do for his city and our country.

Civic Views - Mural Arts

June 4 @ CityHall: "A conversation btw State Sen. Nikil Saval + [me] on the architecture, dsgn, + infrastructure of the city. [We'll] discuss the reflexive relationship btw spaces of civil servant work, the maintenance + delivery of public services, + the shifting perception of the public sector."

Why Montgomery County won’t deputize our officials as ICE agents | Opinion We will not sign a 287(g) agreement, and our stance is rooted in constitutional principle, public safety, and fiscal responsibility.

MontCo officials stand up against formal collaborations between police and ICE:
“When traffic stops become de facto immigration checks, we create a subset of residents forced to live further in the shadows. This doesn‘t enhance public safety — it compromises it.”

www.inquirer.com/opinion/comm...

Massive layoffs at Rite Aid’s Philly HQ after filing for bankruptcy The Philadelphia-based retail pharmacy had more than 1,000 corporate workers at the Navy Yard until layoffs.

Sudden closures are disruptive and destabilizing for our communities and families. Workers and neighbors deserve better from the businesses they steward.
Should you or someone you love need support with unemployment or next steps, please reach out to my office. Details in 🧵
whyy.org/articles/rit...

The hidden talents of Pennsylvania lawmakers Pennsylvania lawmakers have hobbies too, and sometimes surprising hidden talents.

My thanks to @spotlightpa.org for the feature in their newsletter! Recently, I reflected on the writings of James C. Scott in the New Yorker. Finding the time to write as a legislator isn’t simple, but it is always worthwhile.

www.spotlightpa.org/news/2025/05...

The Lombardi Trophies have arrived on the Senate Floor! 🏆

Both chambers brimmed with joy and pride at the chance to celebrate our World Champion Philadelphia Eagles once more. Thank you to Don Smolenski and the @philadelphiaeagles.bsky.social for sharing a taste of the glory with us. Go birds!

This week I voted against SB9, which would ban transgender youth from participating in school sports. All young people deserve access to athletics and extra-curricular growth. Attempts to ban trans students from school sports punish young people for simply being themselves.

I was proud to welcome Asian Americans United and @apipennsylvania.bsky.social to the Capitol in celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! It's their work, and that of countless more, that helps us hold close our past so that together we can build a vibrant future.

Members of the PA Senate and House Philadelphia delegations sent a letter to UPS management in support of truck drivers who are being forced to work in dangerous conditions. Driver safety is a key component of their union contract, and it’s past time for UPS to uphold this commitment.

Two new ways to display your support for SEPTA!

1️⃣ Free window signs are now available at my South Philly office. Stop in Monday-Friday between 9am and 5pm to get your sign!

2️⃣ Have a SEPTA story you want to share? Drop in on Friday, May 9 between 2pm and 6pm to record a video!

Mobility is crucial to a community’s social and economic wellbeing and to a region’s health and vitality. The PA legislature has underfunded our transit agencies FOR YEARS. Proud to introduce the Transit for All Funding Package with @senwilliamspa.bsky.social. 🚍

via @6abcactionnews.bsky.social

International Workers’ Day is a commemoration of the fight for dignity and personhood against the forces that try to demean, atomize, and dehumanize us in pursuit of profit. Beyond a celebration of unions, May Day honors the martyrs who fought and died for the 8-hour workday. 🧵

To read the late political scientist James C. Scott “is to feel the fatalistic sense that civilization may have been botched from the beginning,” Nikil Saval writes. “But it is also to be hopeful.” nyer.cm/94gfOpG

Had a wonderful time visiting with The Big Picture Alliance! Students have developed powerful shorts that uplift community work across our city. I'm so grateful for the programs at BPA that empower young people to define their own narrative through digital media. I can't wait to see what's next! 🎥

Arsonist set fire to Pa. governor’s mansion during Passover causing ‘significant damage’ Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family were uninjured, but the fire caused a "significant amount of damage" to parts of the governor's mansion, according to state police.

No one should have to fear for their safety in their homes. I’m relieved that the Shapiro family is unharmed and grateful for the dedicated first responders whose work ensured safety in the wake of this morning's violence.

Tonight, Passover began. Jewish families across our city, commonwealth, and world gathered at the seder table to recount a story of collective liberation and finding unity in moments of struggle. Chag Sameach!

We're all connected by SEPTA. Service cuts would be catastrophic for our city—devastating union jobs, exposing workers to precarity, and hurting working families and communities most. Tomorrow, stand up for SEPTA with a coalition of transit riders, workers, elected representatives, and more!

Penn affiliates join Labor for Higher Education rally outside Sen. Dave McCormick’s office The Philadelphia demonstration was part of the second “Nationwide Day of Action” — organized by Labor for Higher Education and Higher Education Labor United.

Proud to stand with my union family and demand a stop to the federal funding cuts! Read to find out what happened when @dannybauder.bsky.social and I tried to deliver a letter to Sen. McCormick on behalf of 50,000 union workers... www.thedp.com/article/2025...

One week away!

Philly showed up strong for the HANDS OFF Day of Action! Across the country, millions of people came out in solidarity against Trump and Musk's billionaire agenda.

Our broad coalition has a clear demand: hands off our public services and the workers who make them run.

James C. Scott and the Art of Resistance The late political scientist enjoined readers to look for opposition to authoritarian states not in revolutionary vanguards but in acts of quiet disobedience.

For @newyorker.com, I wrote about the late great James C. Scott:

www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

GO. BIRDS. 🦅

With Philly schools going virtual today, Ishaan and I tackled learning/work from home. The talented teachers and staff throughout the district move mountains for their students. I’m lucky for the flexibility to stay with him today. All families deserve the support they need to care for their kids.