Shapiro’s announcement comes amid an energy crunch that threatens to raise electricity bills across in the nation’s second-biggest natural gas-producing state.

Pennsylvania state and local officials are scrambling after President Donald Trump’s administration ordered a temporary pause on federal financial assistance, a halt that could disrupt trillions of dollars nationally.

Governor Josh Shapiro announced a major agreement with PJM Interconnection that will save consumers over $21 billion in energy costs over the next two

Gov. Josh Shapiro on Wednesday said that the state's access to Medicaid and Head Start had been restored as of Tuesday night after the services were interrupted amid an announced freeze on federal funds by the Trump administration.

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's access to federal payment systems for Medicaid and Head Start were restored late Tuesday, hours after they were shut off following the White House said it had put a freeze on funding of a wide range of government programs.

The freeze is already impacting some services. The governor says portals for Medicaid, CareerLink and Head Start are down in Pennsylvania and other states.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on Tuesday announced he’s reached agreement with the regional grid operator PJM Interconnection that he said will blunt the expected sharp rise in the cost of electricity later this year.

Governor Josh Shapiro reached an agreement with PJM on a plan to save consumers over $21 billion more than the next two years.

Shapiro’s term so far has come with challenges, as one of few governors in the country with a GOP-controlled Senate and a narrow Democratic majority in the state House.

Governor Josh Shapiro has reached an agreement with PJM Interconnection after filing a lawsuit over its capacity auction design that could have imposed new price increases. Both parties resolved that lawsuit to reduce their price cap for the next two years.

The organization that oversees the region’s electrical grid has agreed to a new cap on certain power price hikes, following a threat from Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro to consider pulling out of the system.

"They were very purposeful in trying to wreak havoc on our communities and stop these federal dollars from flowing to our states," the governor said.