Congressman Mackenzie to Attend State of the Union with Carbon County-Based Head Start Educator

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Ryan Mackenzie (PA-07), representing the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos, will bring Sarah Arndt, a Head Start educator in Lehighton, Pennsylvania, as his guest to President Trump's State of the Union Address on February 24.

Sarah Arndt is a Lead Teacher at PathStone Carbon County Head Start, where she has worked for the past 13 years supporting young learners and their families. She is dedicated to supporting children's academic, social, and emotional development and building strong partnerships with families. Through her work, she helps create a positive learning environment that prepares young students for long-term success.

"The work of Sarah and her colleagues highlights the critical role early childhood education and child care play in supporting our communities," said Congressman Mackenzie. "As a working parent and a proud advocate for the needs of working families, I'm grateful to have Sarah joining us to bring attention to the value of affordable, reliable child care and early childhood education. In the months ahead, I'll continue working alongside people in our community like Sarah to deliver real results for working families."

"I'm honored to be representing children, families, and teachers in the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos at the State of the Union," said Sarah Arndt. "Early childhood education provides children with the head start that they deserve, and I appreciate this opportunity to highlight the impact that it makes every day. Thank you to Congressman Mackenzie for helping to highlight this critical service, and for everything that he's doing in Congress to support working families.

Child care remains one of the biggest expenses for families, with costs rising29% nationwide from 2020 to 2024 and taking up a significant share of household income in Pennsylvania. Congressman Mackenzie is working to address these challenges by advancing policies that lower costs and expand access to affordable, reliable child care. His first bill introduced in Congress, the Working Families Tax Package,includes:

• More than doubling the Child Tax Credit
• Doubling the paid family and medical leave tax credit
• Doubling the employee-sponsored child care tax credit
• Expanding the adoption tax credit and creating a matching IVF tax credit

Congressman Mackenzie also successfully fought to include key provisions for families in the Working Families Tax Cuts, including:

• A permanent increase in the Child Tax Credit (from $1,000 to $2,200) and indexing it to inflation
• Expanded child care tax credits, including the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC)
• Expanded employer-sponsored child care benefits
• Improvements to Dependent Care Assistance Programs (DCAPs)

Congressman Mackenzie has been a leading advocate for child care and early childhood education. He has:

• Supported increased funding for Head Start through the appropriations process
• VisitedHead Start centers during the government shutdown and advocated for continued funding for WIC
• Testifiedbefore the Ways and Means Committee on supporting working families
• Led effortsin the Pennsylvania state house to expand the Child Care Tax Credit

Press interested in interviewing Congressman Mackenzie and/or Sarah Arndt should email [email protected]

Photos taken on Tuesday will be shared with interested outlets following the SOTU.

Photos and video from the Congressman's past visit to Pathstone are available HERE.