John Fetterman

After Gov. Josh Shapiro said Pennsylvania would not participate in President Donald Trump’s Great American State Fair, the state’s two U.S. senators have announced that the Keystone State will be represented.

Sens. Dave McCormick, a Republican, and John Fetterman, a Democrat, said in a joint statement on Saturday that they struck agreements with several Pennsylvania groups to give the state a “strong presence” at the fair on the National Mall and a “showcase worthy of its singular place in our nation’s history.”

The senators said they were coordinating the effort with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins with the involvement of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, PennAg Industries Association, the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, the National Federation of Independent Business, the Pennsylvania Manufacturers’ Association and the Manufacturer & Business Association.

“Pennsylvania is where America’s story began, and there was no way we were going to let the commonwealth go unrepresented during our nation’s 250th birthday celebration,” McCormick said in the statement.

“As the birthplace of American independence, home to the hallowed grounds of Gettysburg, and the engine for the arsenal of democracy, Pennsylvania has a special responsibility to preserve, celebrate, and share that enduring legacy.”

Although the joint statement did not mention Shapiro, the announcement comes after the governor said in an interview with The New Republic that his administration had surveyed businesses across the state about participating in the fair and none were interested.

Consequently, he said Pennsylvania would join eight other states in not having a presence at the fair that runs until July 10.

Shapiro also lamented the partisan nature of the event and Trump making the festivities about himself rather than focusing on the country.

Shapiro said Pennsylvania would save $700,000 by not participating and those funds would instead be used on 250th celebrations across the state.

The senators said their effort would be funded by “private partnerships” and not cost taxpayers any money.

“Celebrating America’s 250th birthday and Pennsylvania’s special role in our country is important and bipartisan. We discovered our commonwealth wasn’t participating in the Great American State Fair on the National Mall and we should be,” said Fetterman.

“We are now making sure Pennsylvania’s booth will highlight the commonwealth’s agriculture dominance, our businesses, and what makes PA a truly awesome and historic place,” he said.

“Pennsylvania’s story is simply too important to be missing from our nation’s capital during America’s 250th birthday celebration,” said Luke Bernstein, the president and CEO of the PA Chamber. “The Keystone State belongs front and center, and we’re excited to help showcase the people, businesses, and innovation that continue to shape America’s future.”

Other organization leaders express enthusiasm that Pennsylvania would now be a part of the fair with Chris Hoffman, president of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, saying it is “an excellent opportunity for Pennsylvania’s top industry to be on display at the national level, along with the other states that work together to provide the food, fuel and fiber that sustains our nation.”