John --

Good afternoon and welcome to our Weekend Update!

The entire nation received welcome news this week, as 1.8 million jobs were added last month. The chart below indicates payroll job losses and gains during the pandemic to date. We are witnessing a Great American comeback. Click here to read more.

But there is more work to do. Unfortunately, Democrats refused to come together on a recovery plan, instead choosing their recession to Election Day plan. 

That is why President Trump has taken matters into his own hands by issuing four executive orders to support workers, students and bolster our economy during the ongoing pandemic.

1. $400 weekly federal unemployment aid
2. Assistance to renters and homeowners by providing temporary financial assistance who are experiencing hardships
3. Payroll Tax holiday defers payments from September 1 to December 31, 2020.
4. Extension of student loan relief

While I would have preferred these measures would have passed U.S. Congress, it is clear the Democratic leadership is more intent on playing politics than supporting American families. 

President Trump was forced to take these actions as it became clear that Democratic leaders were not willing to move hardly at all from their $3.4 trillion wish list. Their plan included a full extension of the $600 unemployment supplement to the end of the year (at a time when many small businesses need those employees to come back to work), a trillion-dollar state bailout to cover costs not related to the pandemic, a Federal takeover of elections, stimulus checks to illegal immigrants and providing SALT tax deductions to the wealthy primarily in states with high tax rates. Any new plan must be about economic recovery, safely getting our children back to school and finding a vaccine.

President Donald Trump has been leading the fight against Covid-19 and this week he has taken a number of steps to help us today and in the future. One of the biggest vulnerabilities our nation has faced during the Covid-19 pandemic is our reliance and dependence on other countries for our goods and services. Due to years of unfair trade deals, many key industries relocated their manufacturing and jobs offshore. For years, our nation has been far too reliant on other nations to produce key goods and services, including most of our medications.

To help correct these issues, President Trump has taken bold actions, like negotiating a new North American trade deal, the USMCA.  This week, President Trump took additional steps to help put the needs and interests of Americans first. He signed an executive order to expand “Made in America” production, bring manufacturing jobs back to the United States, and ensure that our citizens have access to the life-saving medicines they need.
 
Here are a few things the new order will accomplish: 

• Establish “Buy American” rules for Federal Government agencies
   
• Strip away regulatory barriers to domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing
   
• Help spark the manufacturing technologies needed to keep drug prices low and move more medicine production onshore

President Trump has done more to help bring industries back to our soil and put Americans back to work than any other President in modern history.

This week, the Department of Health and Human Services released a report on surprise billing and the steps Congress must take to ensure price and quality transparency in healthcare. All Americans have the right to know the cost of their healthcare before they receive it. Ending surprise billing will lead to a fairer, more transparent healthcare system. Thankfully, President Trump and his Administration are leading on this issue. Now it is time for Congress to pass legislation to implement these principles and empower patients with greater choice and accountability.

This week, I joined with other members of the PA Republican Congressional Delegation to release a statement in light of reports that Governor Wolf has not yet spent $73 million of the $104 million Pennsylvania received through the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund created by the CARES Act.

Governor Wolf's failure to allocate this funding is incredibly shortsighted, limits educational opportunities for millions of Pennsylvania students and adds uncertainty to an already challenging time for students, parents, educators, and administrators. This news is particularly disturbing in light of the Governor’s calls for Congress to spend trillions in additional taxpayer dollars. The Governor needs to immediately release these already appropriated federal funds to ensure a safe learning environment for our students and educators.

The November election is approaching quickly and there is nothing more important than reelecting President Trump. As a Pennsylvania Congressional Co-Finance Chair for the Trump Campaign, I want you to know that I am a resource for those county party and Trump organizations within the 9^th District and outside. I am available to speak at any gathering big or small to help ensure we win in November. Please feel free to contact our campaign at [email protected] or call Mike Barley at 717-576-6733.

Additionally, we have yard signs arriving. If you would like a yard sign, please contact our campaign by emailing [email protected]. 

I hope everyone enjoys a great weekend with family and friends.

Dan Meuser
http://www.meuserforcongress.com/