Pennsylvania Families Call on their Congressmen to Vote to Lower Rising Costs

Elysburg, PENNSYLVANIA – On Friday, Affordable Pennsylvania hosted a day of fun and community for working families who are finding it harder to afford summer vacation as everyday costs continue to rise. Families from NEPA, the Lehigh Valley, the Poconos, and South Central PA came together at Knoebels Amusement Resort to talk about how rising costs from health care and groceries to gas and utility bills are pushing summer vacations and leisure time further out of reach.

“Families are falling behind, no matter how hard they work. We’re not imagining that. My congressman, Rob Bresnahan, promised to stand with working families and lower costs, but instead voted for policies that threaten programs that people depend on to survive,” said Jannesy, a home health care worker, disability advocate, and children’s book author. “For me, this is real life. Becoming a paid caregiver and having access to Medicaid helped my family survive our hardest years. And now we’re being told these programs will be cut, while the cost of everything keeps going up. I am calling on Rep. Bresnahan to vote to protect families like mine.”

See more photos from the event here.

Nearly 70% of Americans say they are cutting back or canceling plans this summer due to higher gas prices. Since the start of the war with Iran, the cost of gasoline has gone up by 49% for Pennsylvanians, soaring to over $4.50/gallon on average. Domestic airfare is 31% more expensive than in January, and all major U.S. airline carriers have announced price hikes on checked bags, citing higher fuel costs from the Iran war.

Reps. Ryan Mackenzie, Rob Bresnahan, and Scott Perry all voted against a resolution that would require congressional approval for further military action in Iran, continuing to green-light a conflict that is driving up gas prices and costs for working families across our Commonwealth. Congressmen Mackenzie, Bresnahan, and Perry have also repeatedly supported Trump’s tariff power, voting six times over the last year to keep the president’s sweeping tariffs in place that are raising prices on working families.

Grocery prices surged higher in April, more than any month in the last four years. The rise in prices is driven by a major oil shock caused by the war with Iran and tariffs on a broad range of imported goods, compounding already fast-rising prices.

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Fox 56: Affordable PA spotlights rising costs for working families and summer travel

• At Knoebels Amusement Resort, Affordable Pennsylvania brought together working families to spotlight how rising costs are making summer vacations and everyday expenses increasingly unaffordable.

• A recent U.S. News & World Report surveyfound 65% of Americans have changed their summer travel plans because of higher costs. Affordable PA Executive Director, Rachele Fortier, explained further.

• “The rising cost of living is pushing things like vacation and days out at an amusement park with your family further and further out of reach, for working people in Pennsylvania. People are feeling that, they're feeling the pinch every time you get in your car to go to work, every time you go to the grocery store, every time you get a bill in the mail, people are being squeezed from all sides,” said Fortier.

• “And so, we've got folks joining us from NEPA, from South central Pennsylvania, Lehigh Valley here in the Poconos, to enjoy a day of family fun where they don't have to worry about costs, and to share their stories about what they're struggling with,” said Fortier.

• “I think oftentimes people think that this is an individual issue, but it is systemic, and there is a solution. And our congressmen need to vote to lower our costs,” said Fortier.

• Affordable PA also provided attendees with free Knoebels ride tickets, gas cards, and a catered lunch during today’s event.