Rep. Mackenzie failed to respond to invitations to join constituents and hear their concerns

Allentown, PENNSYLVANIA - Last Thursday evening, sixty Lehigh Valley constituents, advocates, and union members gathered at the United Auto Workers Local 677 union hall in Allentown for a Workers’ Town Hall on Affordability. Constituents directed their concerns about rising costs to an empty chair after Rep. Ryan Mackenzie failed to attend.

Despite multiple outreach efforts to his office, including a group of constituents delivering an invitation in person last month, Rep. Mackenzie never replied. The congressman has not held an open, in-person town hall since his second month in office. 

“When my mom was diagnosed with ALS, Medicaid gave her access to the care she needed at the end of her life that we otherwise wouldn’t have been able to afford. Without Medicaid, she would have suffered more and died sooner,” said Sara, a nurse from the Lehigh Valley. “Rep. Mackenzie was invited to be here tonight to hear from his constituents. Instead of showing up, his chair is empty, and that empty chair says everything. It says that families like mine are expected to struggle in silence while politicians debate cutting the very programs that keep people alive. I wish Rep. Mackenzie could have met my mom. Then maybe he would understand that these are not just policy debates, these are human lives.” 

Families across the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos are facing growing financial pressure as the cost of everyday goods like groceries, housing, gas, and health care continues to rise. This is due in part to Rep. Mackenzie’s support for legislation like the Republican Tax Law that cut funding for critical health care and food assistance programs, tariffs that have increased consumer costs nationwide, the war in Iran, which has raised gas prices to over $4.50/gallon across the Lehigh Valley, and his failure to extend expiring health care tax credits. 

WFMZ: Constituents Speak to Empty Chair at Workers’ Town Hall After Rep. Ryan Mackenzie Fails to Attend 

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