Editing Ed Rendell (section)

===Second term===
Rendell was sworn into his second term as governor of Pennsylvania on January 16, 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ballotpedia.org/Ed_Rendell |title=Second Term as Governor of Pennsylvania|website=Ballotpedia.org |access-date=July 25, 2016}}</ref> In 2007, as a residual effect of the potent political power the pay raise issue had in central and western Pennsylvania, Rendell stepped up criticism of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) and its executive salaries and expenses, following published newspaper reports, in an effort to leverage PHEAA's profits from federal student loan revenues to help finance the Commonwealth's need-based state grant program for undergraduate post-secondary education (both for grants and for the administration of the program).{{citation needed|date=May 2017}} PHEAA, however, was not directly under the control of the governor. The agency was created as an independent state agency in the 1960s by the Pennsylvania General Assembly to provide state funded scholarships. It eventually took on student loan servicing arrangements which generated non-public revenues which then were used, in part, to dramatically increase executive salaries. The PHEAA board is composed primarily of members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and Senate.{{citation needed|date=May 2017}}
[[File:Dwight Evans and Governor Rendell.jpg|thumb|right|Rendell and [[Dwight Evans (politician)|Dwight Evans]] at the annual Broad Street Run]]

In July 2007, Rendell ordered a state government shutdown following a dispute with the state legislature over legislative initiatives related to the state budget. Approximately 25,000 state workers were furloughed.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/08/AR2007070801051.html?hpid=sec-nations|newspaper=The Washington Post|title=Governor Orders Partial Shutdown of Pa. Offices|date=July 9, 2007|access-date=May 1, 2010}}</ref> The shutdown was resolved within eight days.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2007/07/09/11833503/pa-leaders-work-to-resolve-government-shutdown|title=Kdka.com - Legislators, Gov. Reach Deal to End Budget Impasse|website=[[NPR]] |access-date=2022-07-04|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927024448/http://kdka.com/topstories/local_story_190221254.html|archive-date=2007-09-27}}</ref>

A [[capital punishment]] supporter,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.issues2000.org/Governor/Ed_Rendell_Crime.htm |title=Ed Rendell on Crime|website=Issues2000.org|access-date=2016-08-11}}</ref> Rendell signed 78 [[execution warrant]]s during his term,<ref>{{cite web|author=PA.gov Search|url=http://www.cor.state.pa.us/portal/lib/portal/Warrants_by_Governor.pdf|title=Home|website=Cor.state.pa.us|date=2013-04-29|access-date=2016-08-11}}</ref> but none of them were enforced due to [[Stay of execution|stays]].

In 2008, Rendell backed the effort to proceed with the Delaware River Deepening Project.<ref name="Holcomb">{{cite web|last1=Holcomb|first1=Henry J.|title=Agreement signed to deepen Delaware River|url=http://www.philly.com/philly/business/jobs/industries/engineering/20080623_Pa__inks_agreement_on_Delaware_dredging.html|website=Philly.com|access-date=4 December 2016}}</ref> The project was planned to have been carried out by the [[Delaware River Port Authority]]. The Delaware River Port Authority board from New Jersey decided that they no longer wanted to be associated with the project.<ref name="Holcomb"/> Rendell then attempted to force New Jersey to back the project by exercising his Delaware River Port Authority board chairman power.<ref name="Holcomb"/>

In December 2008, Rendell received criticism for stating that [[List of governors of Arizona|Arizona Governor]] [[Janet Napolitano]] was "perfect" for the role of Secretary of Homeland Security because, "...for that job, you have to have no life. Janet has no family. Perfect. She can devote, literally, 19, 20 hours a day to it."<ref>{{cite news|last=Orr|first=Jimmy|title=Ed Rendell on Janet Napolitano: Perfect because she has no life!|work=The Vote Blog|publisher=The Christian Science Monitor|date=2008-12-03|url=http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2008/12/03/ed-rendell-on-janet-napolitano-perfect-because-she-has-no-life|access-date=2008-12-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Brown|first=Campbell|title=Commentary: Sexism sneaks in over open mic|work=CNNPolitics.com|publisher=Cable News Network|date=2008-12-02|url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/02/campbell.brown.rendell/index.html|access-date=2008-12-03}}</ref>

Rendell drew some criticism following a late January 2009 preview of his budget proposal that would eliminate 100 budget line items, including programs such as the [[Pennsylvania Governor's Schools of Excellence]] and [[Drug Abuse Resistance Education]] ("D.A.R.E."). These program cuts are part of Rendell's proposal to cut state expenditures to a level 1 percent below the 2002-2003 budget in response to an expected 2.3 billion dollar budget shortfall.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.altoonamirror.com/page/content.detail/id/515622.html|title=Rendell previews budget plan - AltoonaMirror.com - Altoona, PA - News, Sports, Jobs, Community Information|newspaper=[[Altoona Mirror]]|access-date=2016-08-11}}</ref> As a result of stress caused by the budget crisis, Rendell spokesman Chuck Ardo resigned.<ref>{{cite web|author=Laura Vecsey|url=http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2009/07/rendells_spokesman_will_leave.html|title=Rendell's spokesman will resign after budget is passed|website=PennLive.com|date=25 July 2009|access-date=2016-08-11}}</ref>

Rendell called for reinstating the [[Federal Assault Weapons Ban]] in the wake of [[2009 shooting of Pittsburgh police officers|a shootout in Pittsburgh]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/236338|title=LancasterOnline.com:News:Mayor, chief: Ban assault weapons|access-date=2016-02-07|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090420064910/http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/236338|archive-date=2009-04-20}}</ref>

Although adding tolls to Interstate highways was not an element of his 2006 re-election campaign, Rendell introduced a plan in 2007, following his re-election, to add tolls to [[Interstate 80 in Pennsylvania|Route 80]], which crosses the entire state from New Jersey to Ohio. This resulted in a complicated, multi-year battle fought at both the state and Federal level. The Federal Highway Administration rejected the plan for tolls on Route 80 in 2007, again in 2008, and again for the final time in 2010.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Nussbaum|first=Paul|date=7 April 2010|title=Feds again reject plan for tolls on I-80|url=https://www.inquirer.com/philly/news/homepage/20100407_Feds_again_reject_plan_for_tolls_on_I-80.html|access-date=2019-06-16|website=The Philadelphia Inquirer|language=en-US}}</ref> Although the decision was made by an agency of the Executive branch, a bi-partisan group of Pennsylvania's members of the U.S. House of Representatives were on the record against tolling Route 80.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.post-gazette.com/news/transportation/2010/04/07/No-tolls-for-Pa-I-80-leaves-huge-gap/stories/201004070175|title=No tolls for Pa. I-80 leaves huge gap|website=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|language=en|access-date=2019-06-16}}</ref>