Washington, D.C. – Congressman Ryan Mackenzie (PA-07), representing the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos, voted with the bipartisan majority in the House to reopen the federal government. The Congressman first voted to fund the government in September \u2014 helping to pass a clean, bipartisan continuing resolution. Despite a long history of bipartisan support for continuing resolutions, this most recent bill was blocked in the Senate by a Democratic minority who refused to help meet the 60-vote threshold, resulting in the longest shutdown in American history.<\/p>\n
Since his first vote to fund the government, Congressman Mackenzie and his team have worked throughout the district to support impacted families and organizations. In recent weeks, he has delivered food to\u00a0TSA agents<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0air traffic controllers<\/a>,\u00a0met<\/a>\u00a0with officials at local food banks,\u00a0helped<\/a>\u00a0WIC providers secure urgently needed funding, and\u00a0visited<\/a>\u00a0children and families who lost access to Head Start.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter seven weeks of pain and frustration for the American people, the government shutdown is thankfully coming to an end,\u201d\u00a0said Congressman Mackenzie. \u201cThroughout this process, my staff and I have worked throughout the district to provide the support we could and meet with those who were impacted. This unnecessary shutdown that was driven by Senate Democrats has caused severe hardship for the people of the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos \u2014 robbing workers of paychecks, freezing essential benefits, and creating major disruptions. That\u2019s why I voted for a clean, bipartisan government funding bill in September, and it\u2019s why I voted for another bipartisan package on Wednesday. Congress must now continue to work in a bipartisan way to ensure that this does not happen again.\u201d<\/p>\n This package also includes appropriations bills for the Department of Agriculture, military construction projects, and the legislative branch. These bills include key benefits for the American people, including local project funding that Congressman Mackenzie advocated for in our district.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m proud to support these critical investments in local communities, nutritional assistance, American farming, and our nation\u2019s veterans,\u201d\u00a0said Congressman Mackenzie. \u201cWhen Congress puts politics aside, we can still deliver results for the communities we serve. I\u2019m also grateful that we were able to secure $1.65 million in funding for a new firehouse that will cover Alburtis and Lower Macungie, which will provide an efficient, modern base of operations for firefighters in the area. Congratulations also to the people of Portland, PA, on the assistance to make their municipal building more accessible.<\/p>\n Information provided to TVL by: Washington, D.C. – Congressman Ryan Mackenzie (PA-07), representing the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos, voted with the bipartisan majority in the House to reopen the federal government. The Congressman first … Continue reading Congressman Mackenzie Votes to Reopen the Government, Secures Funding for Local Projects<\/span> \n
\nArnaud Armstrong<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"