Dear John,
This year has been off to a busy start—we've been hard at work to support our community, so let me fill you in on all that my team and I have been up to! In this newsletter, I want to tell you about: (1) my trip to Reading, (2) $1.6 billion in historic and necessary bridge funding coming our way, (3) our new monthly Spanish newsletter, (4) the bipartisan Congressional Delegation to NATO HQ and Ukraine, and (5) our 5,000,000th dollar returned to constituents.
This week, I was excited to be back in our community hearing from our friends and neighbors. I joined State Representative Manny Guzman to tour Latino small businesses in Reading, where we visited many wonderful local spots, including multigenerational family-owned businesses, and heard from them about the struggles they've faced during the pandemic. I am proud of the measures we've taken to help our local businesses weather the challenges the past few years have presented. These conversations have already helped me better understand how to continue pushing for oversight as well as policies, like the Disaster Relief Protection Program, that will continue to give our small businesses the support they need to thrive. |
Rep. Guzman and I spoke with Nelson, the owner of Fine Fair Supermarket in Reading. His store is a staple of the community, providing abundant fresh food! |
I also visited members of our community who have stepped up for us in extraordinary ways throughout the pandemic to thank them for their hard work. Mayor Eddie Moran and I stopped by Reading Public Library to say thank you and learn about how they are improving their services with funds from the American Rescue Plan. I also visited with health care workers at Reading Hospital and Chester County Health Department as a part of our Share-a-Smile program. I am so deeply grateful to these folks for the work they have done to support our community, and it was wonderful to get the chance to say a heartfelt 'thank you' to them in person! |
(Left) I joined health care workers at Chester Co. Health Department to share my gratitude for their hard work. (Right) Mayor Moran and I visit the Reading Public Library. |
Recently, I was proud to join my good friend and fellow Representative, Susan Wild, to announce that Pennsylvania will be receiving $1.6 billion in federal funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act over the next 5 years to rebuild, repair, and upgrade our Commonwealth's crumbling bridges. The scary images we saw out of Pittsburgh show just how dangerous our more than 3,000 bridges in 'poor condition' have the potential to be. While we were tremendously lucky that the consequences of this collapse were not more severe, we cannot ignore how important this investment in our bridges will be. I am proud to have supported this effort to ensure our families and businesses can travel safely throughout our community. |
Rep. Wild and I announced PA's Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act bridge funding allocation during a joint press event in January. |
I was also excited to announce our inaugural monthly Spanish newsletter! In an effort to better communicate with all of our community, my team and I have sent out the first of what we hope will be regular updates on our work in Spanish. If you or someone you know would be interested in this resource, click here to subscribe! |
As January came to a close, we heard more and more troubling reports of Russian activity along their European borders, so I traveled to Ukraine with a bipartisan Congressional Delegation (CODEL) to hear from folks on the ground and assess the situation firsthand. I served in the Air Force during the end of the Cold War and what we saw felt unsettlingly familiar. During our trip, I met with NATO allies and Ukrainian officials who shared reports of more than 100,000 troops along the Ukrainian border and other concerning indicators. |
Our CODEL met with Ukrainian officials to learn more about the situation on the ground. |
We face many domestic challenges and, while they are my priority, the message I bring back is that we as Americans cannot afford to look away— we must stand unified with Ukraine and our NATO partners to defend fragile democracies from Russian aggression. I partnered with Rep. Mark Green (R-TN), another veteran in Congress, to share a united, bipartisan message: Ukrainian democracy matters, and it is our responsibility to help protect it. You can read our full op-ed here! |
Constituent Success Story: here's how one constituent described working with my team! |
Even as we confront challenges abroad, our staff remain focused on serving you, our constituents.
Our office recently surpassed $5 million returned to constituents during the 117th congressional session (since January 2021). From veterans benefits to tax returns, Social Security applications to competitive grant funding, our team has put in an incredible effort over the past year to deliver for our community. I strive to ensure that we are a good investment for our constituents, and our caseworkers are an integral part of us achieving that goal. |
Finally, this evening I will be a guest for a 'Connecting to Congress' virtual town hall hosted by the Institute for Democratic Engagement & Accountability at Ohio State University. If you are interested in joining us at 5:30pm tonight, Monday February 7th, please find a link to register here. If you're unable to join us, we will be hosting a Telephone Town Hall later this month -- stay tuned for more details.
Thank you for bearing with me for this longer update—I am really proud of all that we've done to support our community this month and was eager to share it with you! As always, my team and I value hearing from you, so please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions, comments, or suggestions you may have. And, since Pennsylvania's own Punxsutawney Phil has declared there will be six more weeks of winter, I hope you and your families are able to stay safe, healthy, and warm.
Sincerely, |
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