The Pennsylvania Congressmen Voted on a Funding Package That Fails to Address Rising Costs

PENNSYLVANIA — After a record-long government shutdown that brought uncertainty and financial hardship for their constituents, Congressmen Ryan Mackenzie, Rob Bresnahan, and Scott Perry last night voted for a funding package that fails to lower costs for working families.

“As a homecare worker who relies on the ACA, I don't know what I'm going to do next year. Come January, I will have to pay $700/month for health insurance. On my salary of $14/hour as a caregiver, I simply can’t afford it” said Lynn Weidner, Allentown resident and PA-07 constituent. “Congressman Mackenzie’s job is to fight for his constituents and their needs. I have health conditions that require medications and regular infusion - I need affordable and accessible health care. This bill does not lower health care costs for anyone or address the expiring health care tax credits. If Mackenzie continues to vote this way, thousands of his constituents like me will lose access to affordable healthcare. I’m calling on him to actually represent his constituents and permanently extend the health care tax credits that so many of us rely on.”

This funding package fails to reverse their historic cuts to Medicaid and SNAP from the Republican Tax Law, which have devastating consequences for both health care and federal food assistance in the Commonwealth. It also fails to address the expiring health care tax credits that make care affordable and accessible to many across the Commonwealth. The expiration of these tax credits could lead to a 102% increase in monthly costs for Pennie enrollees and cause as many as 150,000 Pennsylvanians to drop their coverage. Congressmen Mackenzie, Bresnahan and Perry gutted assistance for working families to give billionaires permanent tax breaks, but are refusing to permanently extend these tax credits to keep health care affordable.

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