Rep. Mackenzie Supported Tariffs, Cuts to Medicaid and SNAP That Jack Up Costs on Constituents

October 28, 2025

Lehigh Valley, PENNSYLVANIA - As the federal government shutdown enters its fourth week, Pennsylvanians who receive federal food aid won’t receive their November benefits. As Lehigh Valley families navigate this uncertainty, in addition to rising costs from Trump’s extreme tariffs and a looming spike in health care costs, Congressman Ryan Mackenzie has failed to take significant action to end this time of uncertainty and work towards lower prices.

"I own a homecare agency for seniors and people with disabilities. My clients, many who live on fixed incomes, are increasingly struggling to afford necessities in this time of rising prices and government cuts, ” said Ebony Bussey, Bethlehem resident and owner of a homecare agency. “Between tariffs jacking up retail prices, the government shutdown and Medicaid and SNAP cuts ripping away critical benefits for working people, and expiring subsidies that will lead to skyrocketing health care premiums, rising costs are out of control and we need our leaders in Washington to step up. I am calling on Congressman Ryan Mackenzie to fight for lower health care costs for the Lehigh Valley community and end this shutdown.”

Last week, Affordable Pennsylvania launched a digital ad highlighting Congressman Mackenzie’s votes that have raised costs for the Lehigh Valley and calling on him to reverse his harmful health care cuts and end the government shutdown.

Morning Call: How much Pennie health insurance premiums will increase in Lehigh Valley area if ACA subsidies expire

• Lehigh County residents who receive their health insurance through Pennsylvania’s online marketplace, Pennie, can expect their monthly premiums to more than double if Congress doesn’t extend tax credits that expire at the end of this year.

• The nearly 500,000 Pennsylvanians who buy their plans through Pennie’s individual marketplace will see an average 102% increase in the cost of their premiums. But those increases vary wildly, according to the state; for example, a 60-year-old married couple in York County with $82,000 in annual income would see their yearly premiums skyrocket from $7,032 to $35,712 per year.

• According to Pennie, the greater Lehigh Valley region will see some of the most dramatic premium cost increases in the state. In Lehigh County, monthly costs are projected to go up about $330, or 205%. Schuylkill County residents can expect an average increase of $347, or 186%. Northampton, Monroe and Carbon counties can also expect relatively substantial increases of $317, $284 and $303, respectively, to the costs of monthly premiums.

• According to the Urban Institute, about 7.3 million fewer people will receive subsidized marketplace coverage in 2026 if enhanced premium tax credits are not extended, and 4.8 million will become uninsured.

Lehigh Valley News: SNAP benefits for 2 million in Pa. at risk of ending as federal shutdown drags on

• Nearly two million Pennsylvanians could see their food assistance disappear if the federal government shutdown continues.

• Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration said more than $366 million in monthly SNAP payments will pause in Pennsylvania without the federal payments, according to a report by WITF in Harrisburg. The program benefits low-income families, seniors and children.

• SNAP is a major piece of the nation's social safety net, touching nearly 1 in 8 people in the country each month. They receive benefits on prepaid cards that they can use for groceries.

Morning Call: Lehigh Valley small businesses, from yarn to pretzels to games, try to ride tariff wave without wiping out

• In an interview with The Morning Call earlier this year, Lehigh University economist Ahmed Rahman said consumers will feel the effects of tariffs as companies pass the cost to them. He called the tariffs a “fluid” issue with frequent changes in rates and policies.

• “We sort of forget that a tariff is just another way of saying a tax, and the consumer still bears a lot of that burden of the tax,” Rahman said. “But it’s not a tax that you see, it’s just prices that go up and it’s indirectly through this. So it’s an inflation tax. The government might be getting some revenue, but rest assured, it’s just another way of taking money from your average citizen.”

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