Congressman Mackenzie Votes to Reopen the Government, Secures Funding for Local Projects

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 - 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.

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 TSA agentsand air traffic controllers, metwith officials at local food banks, helpedWIC providers secure urgently needed funding, and visitedchildren and families who lost access to Head Start.

"After seven weeks of pain and frustration for the American people, the government shutdown is thankfully coming to an end," said Congressman Mackenzie. "Throughout 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 - robbing workers of paychecks, freezing essential benefits, and creating major disruptions. That's why I voted for a clean, bipartisan government funding bill in September, and it's 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."

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.

• $1,650,000 in community project funding for the construction of a new firehouse to support the Lower Macungie Fire Department.
• $33,742 in community project funding for the construction of an ADA-compliant ramp for the Portland Borough Municipal Building.
• $8.2 billion for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), an over $500 million increase from the previous year.
• $4.5 billion in additional funding for childhood nutrition programs.
• $35 million in additional funding for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which provides nutritional assistance to low-income seniors.
• Improved oversight of foreign ownership of American farmland.
• Full annual funding for veterans' care and benefits.
• Over $4.5 billion for housing and quality of life improvements on military bases.
• Funds the creation of the National Center for Warrior Independence to combat veteran homelessness.

"I'm proud to support these critical investments in local communities, nutritional assistance, American farming, and our nation's veterans," said Congressman Mackenzie. "When Congress puts politics aside, we can still deliver results for the communities we serve. I'm 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."

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