Dear John,

Beginning a new year is a special time: A time to reflect on the past 12 months and a time to set goals for the new year ahead.

As we kick off 2024, I wanted to take a moment to express how thankful I am to the people of northeastern Pennsylvania for the faith you’ve put in me. The tremendous responsibility and honor that accompanies this office have been impressed upon me each and every day since I was first sworn in, and I remain committed to strengthening the middle class, creating good-paying jobs, protecting our seniors and supporting veterans and military families.

In 2023, I spearheaded our region’s successful application to restore passenger rail service from our area to New York City and worked across the aisle to introduce legislation that will help senior citizens, create economic growth and keep our communities safe.

As a senior member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee and Ranking Member of the Commerce, Justice and Science Subcommittee, I’ve effectively fought for our region’s fair share of federal tax dollars to spur economic growth and create good-paying jobs.

In support of our region’s economic growth and opportunity, I also managed to bring some high-ranking D.C. officials to NEPA, including U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, National Science Foundation Director Sethuraman Panchanathan, and NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, who brought along Astronaut Bob Hines, a graduate of Crestwood High School.

For a list of 2023’s highlights, read on.

This year, our rail project has taken its most significant step in over 50 years towards reestablishing passenger rail service from Scranton to New York City. 

Now that our rail project has been selected for Corridor ID and Development, the federal government will provide $500K in funding to begin developing our proposed rail project's scope, schedule and budget.

This is a significant milestone and represents years of dedicated efforts to restore passenger rail service, which will contribute to our region's economic growth and vitality.

Amtrak's economic impact analysis of our rail project has concluded that restoration of rail service will generate $84 million in new economic activity annually, which will benefit our local small business communities, working families and help to ease the tax burden on our senior citizens.

Restoring rail service has been one of my district priorities since assuming office in 2013 and I am confident that our rail project is well prepared for the next stages of development. My office and I will be sure to share any and all updates related to the rail project as it progresses in 2024.

For additional information click here.

As part of my ongoing public meetings throughout northeastern Pennsylvania, I once again hosted a series of “Coffees with Your Congressman” events throughout Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike and Wayne counties.  

Hundreds showed up for a hot cup of coffee and warm conversation.

It’s important to hear firsthand what’s on the minds of the people I serve. These informal events provided you the opportunity to discuss your concerns and share ideas on how to make improvements throughout Pennsylvania’s 8^th Congressional District.

I look forward to hosting more of these events in 2024.

As a strong believer in working with members of both political parties, I’ve introduced more bills with Democratic and Republican support than any other House Democrat since I was first elected to office.

As a result, I was named one of the most effective House Democrats by the nonpartisan Center for Effective Lawmaking. So far, I’ve succeeded in authoring and passing 15 substantive bills into law, signed and enacted by the last three Presidents.

In 2023, I introduced 22 bills, including The Thrive Act, to strengthen and create new economic opportunities in rural areas; The Medicare Audiology Access and Improvement Act, to expand seniors’ access to audiology and hearing services; The Job Creation through Energy Efficient Manufacturing Act, to create jobs and help reduce energy costs for small and medium-sized manufacturers; The MADE in America Act, to make the U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain less dependent on China and other foreign adversaries; and The PREPARE Act, to ensure that we are better prepared for extreme weather events.

As a Member of Congress, I am actively involved in sponsoring and drafting legislation about issues that are important to you. You can learn more about the legislation I’ve introduced by clicking here.

One of my proudest days as your Representative in Congress was getting my Camp Lejeune Justice Act passed and seeing it signed into law at the White House as part of the Honoring Our PACT Act in August 2022.

This legislation ensures that the thousands of Marines and their families and other civilian workers who drank toxic tap water while stationed at Camp Lejeune get the care and compensation they deserve.

In 2023, the PACT Act has expanded VA health care and increased research related to toxic chemical exposure to provide nearly 3.5 million veterans who were exposed to toxic chemicals at Camp Lejeune, burn pits, Agent Orange and others during their military service, the health care and benefits they need and deserve.

Since its signing, the PACT Act has led to more than 700,000 claims filed with over 500,000 already approved, over 3.9 million toxic exposure screenings for veterans, and more than $2.46 billion in benefits received by veterans.

I promised the people of NEPA that I would fight to protect our veterans and their interests, and I am proud of the meaningful impact that my Camp Lejeune Justice Act and the PACT Act are having on veterans and their families in the first year of their being signed into law.

Last year, I helped pass the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to help create jobs and lower the cost of prescription drugs, health insurance, broadband and energy costs.

I'm happy to report that in 2023 the 22,000 families who signed up for an Affordable Care Act marketplace plan in our district are saving an average of $1,260 on their health insurance thanks to the IRA.

Today, nearly 8,000 seniors on Medicare in the 8th Congressional District are now getting a month's supply of insulin for just $35, with no deductible to pay.

The IRA also authorizes the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to negotiate prices directly with participating manufacturers for selected drugs that are costly, in high demand and without generic or biosimilar competition.

The first group of drugs selected for negotiation in 2023 were: Eliquis, Jardiance, Xarelto, Januvia, Farxiga, Entresto, Enbrel, Imbruvica, Stelara and NovoLog. And this is just the first group, with more to come.

Millions of Medicare enrollees take one or more of these drugs to treat serious conditions such as blood clots, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, heart failure, autoimmune diseases and chronic kidney disease.

With the Inflation Reduction Act now the law of the land, we finally have the power to rein in Big Pharma's price gouging and reduce medical costs for seniors, working families and the federal government.

This is the action the American people have been waiting for. In 2023, this landmark legislation has been delivering for families and communities across NEPA and the nation, and it will continue to do so in 2024.

 It's almost hard to believe that 2023 has already come and gone, but I am proud of the progress that we have made here in our little corner of the world.

In 2024, my hope is that the successful momentum of our passenger rail project continues to move forward at a steady pace because the people of NEPA deserve to have this amenity return to our area.

I resolve to spend the next year making sure that our region continues to receive its fair share of federal tax dollars to be invested into our communities, infrastructure and local businesses.

It’s an honor to serve you, and I look forward to continuing to fight for the working families, seniors and veterans of NEPA in 2024.

Wishing you a Healthy and Happy New Year,