Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (7th District of Washington)
Building on those concerns, Congresswoman Madeleine Dean (PA-04) said, “I was glad to join my Progressive Caucus colleagues in Scranton to discuss the devastating impacts of the Big ‘Beautiful’ Bill on hardworking Pennsylvania families. Americans deserve to hear directly from their elected officials – and they deserve to hear the truth. Because of the President’s disastrous tariff policies, prices for household essentials like meat and bananas are rising. Electricity costs across the Commonwealth are up by 15%, and more than 150,000 Pennsylvanians stand to lose their healthcare because they can no longer afford their monthly premiums. While Republicans like Rep. Bresnahan continue to hide from their constituents, Democrats will continue fighting for every family – in every community – across our country.”
Placing the local fallout in a broader national context, Congressman Jim McGovern (MA-02) said, “What I heard today in Scranton is what people all across the country are saying: those at the very top are doing better than ever, while everyone else is falling further behind. Trump and his Republican lapdogs like Representative Rob Bresnahan—who flies to work in a private helicopter—are building an A+ economy for greedy corporations and billionaires while the rest of America works more and more for less and less. Their tariffs—and their cruel cuts to programs that people rely on—are ruining people’s lives and livelihoods. While Republicans run and hide from their record, Democrats will keep showing up, fighting back, and demanding an economic system that works for everyone.”
The event was moderated by Anthony Gratter, Regional Organizer with Affordable Pennsylvania, and also featured remarks from Krysten Xanthis, a Pennsylvania home health care aide and member of SEIU Healthcare PA, who shared how federal policy decisions are affecting workers on the front lines of care. Audience questions focused on rising health care costs, empowering workers, the student loan debt crisis, corporate corruption, the future of AI, and the corrosive influence of money in politics.
Representatives Jayapal, McGovern, Dean, and Boyle hear from local resident about issues affecting Scranton. (Photo credit: Matt Stanley)
Local organizers stressed what is at stake for families across Northeastern Pennsylvania – particularly in districts where Republican representatives have avoided accountability.
“Representative Rob Bresnahan keeps voting for policies that kick his constituents off their healthcare and make it harder to afford their groceries — but those constituents are starting to see through his “good guy” act. He promised not to vote to cut Medicaid, then voted to do just that multiple times. He claims he won’t do anything to make it harder for his constituents to feed their families, then he voted to slash SNAP payments,” said Alisha Hoffman-Mirilovich, Executive Director of Action Together NEPA. “He wants residents of the district to think he’s just like them, yet he’s out trading millions in stocks and buying undisclosed helicopters while his working folks are struggling to get by. The 8th district deserves better, and Action Together NEPA will keep holding him accountable and fighting for working families across our region.”
Echoing that message, Dwayne Heisler, Campaign Director for Pennsylvanians Together in Action said, “Pennsylvania families are being squeezed while Republicans hand out tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy. Their budget law makes life more expensive—but communities across this state are pushing back. We’re fighting for a government that lowers costs, protects care, and finally puts people before corporations.”
Emphasizing that communities outside major cities will also bear the brunt of the damage Megan Kocher, Field Manager at RuralOrganizing.org said, “Trump and Congressional Republicans like Rob Bresnahan who voted for the big ugly bill are waging a war against rural Pennsylvanians. Trump sold out his base and Bresnahan sold out his constituents, stealing a trillion dollars in food and medicine from families to hand out a trillion dollars in tax cuts to billionaires. Rural Pennsylvanians disproportionately rely on SNAP and Medicaid and we are disproportionately the ones who will go hungry and get sick, all for the benefit of billionaires who do not live in Scranton or NEPA. The Big Ugly Bill is the largest transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich, but it’s also the largest transfer of wealth from rural to urban, yet Congressman Rob Bresnahan is nowhere to be found.”
Calling for concrete action Rachele Fortier, Executive Director of Affordable Pennsylvania added, “Across Pennsylvania, families are struggling to keep up with rising costs. We deserve representatives in Congress who will fight to make life more affordable for us. But instead, Reps. Ryan Mackenzie, Rob Bresnahan and Scott Perry have prioritized bigger tax breaks for billionaires at the expense of their constituents. It’s time for these members to step up and take meaningful action to lower costs for Pennsylvania families by signing the three year discharge petition to extend health care tax credits, standing up to tariffs, and restoring funding for SNAP and Medicare which they voted to gut this summer.”
“Working class families across Pennsylvania are struggling to pay their monthly bills, afford healthcare, and support their families. Meanwhile, Rob Bresnahan continues to hand out further tax breaks to billionaires, ignoring and deepening the affordability crisis his constituents are facing. Workers have a right to the wealth they create for our commonwealth – it’s far past time that our elected officials start making legislative decisions that reflect this truth,” said Aya Mohamed, Political Director, Make the Road Action in Pennsylvania. PJ Jahn, a For Our Future volunteer who attended the event said, “It is a real shame that Congressman Bresnahan was not able to come here to share his thoughts on the affordability crisis. The affordability crisis impacts not only large counties but small as well where we are seeing double digit increases in grocery, rent and utilities. I wanted to thank the congressmembers that did show up and provide solutions for how we can move forward as a country.”
“There is so much fear about where our country is going, but today was a great reminder that there’s hope to be found in one another,” said Catherine Rowland, PCAF’s Director of Government Affairs & Access. The Scranton town hall follows two previous stops with hundreds of community members in both Warren, Michigan and Glens Falls, New York who gathered with local and national leaders. Additional town halls are being planned across the country as communities demand answers from elected officials and fight for policies that put people first.
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