Good afternoon and welcome to our Week End Update.

Before I begin discussing my trip to Israel, I want to praise the efforts of the Philadelphia Police Department for their heroic actions on Wednesday evening. This was further proof that these brave men and women put their lives on the line everyday to protect our communities. Shelley and I extend our heartfelt prayers and appreciation for all of our law enforcement officers, particularly those that were injured during the standoff.

This week, I have been honored to participate in a Congressional trip to Israel as a guest of the American Israel Education Foundation (AIEF). It has been a great experience – we have toured many awe-inspiring sites throughout the Holy Land. Jerusalem, Bethlehem, the City of David, and other parts of Israel have an incredible history, and I am grateful to the AIEF for letting us see it up close.

Our Republican delegation, led by House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy visited and met with many political and military leaders including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Pictured below with Leader McCarthy on a tour of Masada.

Good afternoon and welcome to our Week End Update.

My wife Shelley and I are saddened and appalled by the horrific shootings that occurred in El Paso and Dayton this past weekend. My thoughts are with the families of the victims, and I wish them peace as they are forced to deal with such an unimaginable loss. Hate and bigotry have no place in our country, and I stand with President Trump in his call to put politics aside to prevent future acts of domestic terrorism. I look forward to working on solutions that address mental illness in a serious manner and don't infringe upon the Constitutional rights of law-abiding American citizens. We all must work together to put an end to these atrocities.

As I mentioned in last week's update, I taped an interview on ABC-27's program This Week in Pennsylvania with host Dennis Owens. The interview aired last weekend. We discussed the important issues facing our nation, like the need for comprehensive border security. Click here to watch my appearance. I want to thank Dennis and ABC-27 for the opportunity to appear on their program.

Good morning and welcome to our Week End Update.

On Monday, Shelley and I attended the signing of the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund at President Donald J. Trump’s invitation. The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, which I sponsored, gives aid to first responders, victims and families related to this tragic event. This legislation will ensure our nation #NeverForgets about the day our nation was attacked by terrorists.

Like many, our family worked to support the clean-up efforts in New York in the immediate aftermath of the attacks. Our family company donated scooters, and I personally delivered them to the World Trade Center site. The scooter aided supervisors as they worked with rescue workers around the site. My father, a retired NYPD police officer, joined countless others in sifting through the rubble in the days after the attack (NOTE: He thankfully has had no health issues and is not participating in the fund.) 

We got the opportunity to meet with President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and many of my fellow congressmen. Vice President Pence and I got to have a great discussion and he is a truly inspiring public servant.

Good evening and welcome to our Week End Update!

Before heading to D.C. this week, I attended the Lebanon County Fair on Monday evening and Tuesday morning. This is a great venue to showcase our strong agricultural industry and our hardworking farm families in the District. I conducted an interview with WHTM to discuss our efforts in Congress to fight for fair trade deals and how it has affected the agricultural industry. Click here to watch. I will be appearing on WHTM’s This Week with Dennis Owens next week. Stay tuned.

Good evening and welcome to our Week End Update!

Last weekend, Republican House Leader Kevin McCarthy was in Pennsylvania again last week where we attended a clay shoot event in Western Pennsylvania. Kevin is not only a tremendous conservative leader in Washington, he is a tireless worker and has become a great friend to me and Pennsylvania. We held a discussion on the importance of winning back the U.S. House and Pennsylvania for President Trump in 2020.

Also last weekend, Shelly and I attended the Yuengling 190th Summer Concert Celebration. Congratulations to Dick Yuengling, the Yuengling family, their employees, and Pottsville on this great celebration of an excellent American success story. See a picture below of Shelly and I with Dick Yuengling.

On Sunday, I attended a Republican Rally at the Rock in nearby Bradford County. It was a tremendous event and many elected officials and grassroots leaders were in attendance, including our new PA GOP Chair Lawrence Tabas and Trump Campaign Pennsylvania Chair Bernadette “Bernie” Comfort. We really have a Dream Team of leaders in the Pennsylvania Republican Party. I also want to thank Bradford County Commissioner Doug McLinko for hosting this excellent event.

Good evening and welcome to our Week End Update.

First, I hope everyone enjoyed a Happy and Healthy Independence Day. 

This week, we hosted The White House Opportunity & Revitalization Council in Tamaqua. In attendance were Michelle Christian and Elmo Rinaldi from the Small Business Administration, Joe DeFelice with the U.S. Housing and Urban Development, Joyce Haas with the General Services Administration and Curt Coccodrilli with U.S. Department of Agriculture. I also was pleased to be joined by State Senator Dave Argall, State Representative Jerry Knowles, and Schuylkill County Commissioner George Halcovage. We discussed the many different ways we can bring jobs to our District.  Click here to read an article in The Republican-Herald about our event

Good evening and welcome to our Week End Update. 

We were back in session in Washington, D.C. conducting important work on many different fronts, including work to assist veterans and address the situation at our southern border.

I spoke out on the floor of the U.S. House in support of H.R. 2196, which would reduce the credit hour requirement for the Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship program of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The scholarship provides an additional nine months of eligibility for the GI Bill to student veterans pursuing a STEM degree. This could amount to up to $30,000 in benefits. Click here to watch my remarks.

The President signed the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act, a bill I proudly co-sponsored. This will help veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange in the offshore waters of Vietnam by giving the eligibility for earned VA benefits.

Good afternoon and welcome to our Week End Update. 

This week, we saw President Donald Trump announce his reelection surrounded by thousands of people. Objectively speaking, the progress our country has made over the past two years is remarkable.

Every piece of public data available... every economic indicator... proves the U.S. economy is in a better place than it has been in fifty years. When I visit businesses, nearly everyone of them is doing very well. When reviewing unemployment data, every demographic is at record lows. Our military is being revitalized and strengthened. On the international stage, corrections and reckonings are taking place regarding NATO, the United Nations and trade.

We have a President that is making a difference. A very positive difference for a very large number of Americans. Is there more work to do? Absolutely. Do we need to continue helping more people in this great American comeback? Yes. This is why I am not only honored to be in Congress and represent the people of the 9th, but privileged to work with this President on Opportunity Zones for our communities, improved trade agreements, and securing our borders. Those are just a few of the many important issues we are working to address.

In Congress, we are dealing with Democratic leadership pushing a very socialist agenda. It is for these reasons that not only do I  wholeheartedly endorse President Trump's re-election campaign, but I want to stress the importance of winning back the U.S. House of Representatives. Pennsylvania is the battleground, key state for victory in 2020. It will be an interesting year and very important to our nation's future. We elect not only the President, but we vote to continue the great American comeback. 

Michael --

Good evening and welcome to our Week End Update.

First of all, I want to wish all of you a patriotic Flag Day!

I also want to wish the U.S. Army a happy 244^th birthday. 

Good afternoon and welcome to our Week-End Update.

On Thursday, we paused to observe the 75^th Anniversary of D-Day. This is the day when over 160,000 Allied troops, most of them Americans, landed in Normandy to free Europe from the Nazis.

These brave soldiers fought to bring freedom to those living under Nazi tyranny. Many of them died on those shores fighting for the freedoms we all enjoy today.

It is up to us to assure that all those who made the ultimate sacrifice did not die in vain. We must continue to keep our great country a Constitutional Republic with limited Constitutional Government, free markets and individual rights.