Good afternoon and welcome to our Weekend Update.

A great deal of the national news and discussions in Washington centered on The Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection and Schools Act, more widely known as the HEALS Act. This is the latest Republican relief proposal to help supplement the earlier CARES Act.

I joined Maria Bartiromo on Fox Business to discuss the HEALS Act and our continued support for America’s economic and social recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. Click here or below to watch.

Good afternoon and welcome to our Weekend Update.

I want to start our weekly update discussing the outrageous decision by Governor Tom Wolf to withhold funding from hard-working Lebanon County residents, including substance abuse organizations and other entities that receive funding from the county, including countless small businesses. I sent a letter to Governor Wolf, pressing him to release funds to Lebanon County, which were created by CARES Act and appropriated to the county by the Pennsylvania State Legislature. The Governor's office is stepping far beyond its authority and does not have the best interest of Pennsylvanian's in mind. By not releasing the $13 million to Lebanon County, the Administration is further hurting families and small businesses that have already been financially crippled by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Congress signed the Federal Cares Act into law so that all citizens would benefit from this program, not so that a Governor could continue to pick and choose winners and losers as he has done time and time again during this pandemic.

The Wolf Administration's new guidelines for restaurants and bars are just another clear as day example that the Governor is out of touch with a majority of Pennsylvanians. We have heard from restaurant and bar owners throughout Pennsylvania's 9th Congressional district who have said they simply cannot survive the Governor's new orders. Why should a restaurant in Danville, Palmyra, or Weatherly be punished for a rise is COVID-19 cases in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. It is time that Governor Wolf works with the private sector to help businesses recover, not kill their livelihoods.

Good morning and welcome to our Weekend Update.

On Thursday, I joined Vice President Mike Pence for an event in Lancaster County. The event was well-attended and you can feel the excitement for the Trump-Pence reelection campaign. In addition to the over one-hundred supporters, I was joined by Congressman Lloyd Smucker and RNC National Committeeman and Pennsylvania Trump-Pence Finance Co-Chair Bob Asher. Before I go on, I want to applaud Bob for his work and efforts to put together this successful fundraiser. It was an amazingly successful event. I also want to thank Ron and Hollee Kreider as well as Trump Victory for hosting and coordinating such a tremendous event.

Vice President Pence made several stops in Pennsylvania. He was at Rajant Corp., a company that makes products used in wireless technology in Chester County for a roundtable meeting on the importance of reopening the American economy.

Good afternoon and welcome to our Weekend Update.

This week I was in Washington, D.C., as Congress met to address several important issues, including police reform. Unfortunately, bills dealing with police reforms were hijacked by Speaker Pelosi and Democratic leadership.

The murder of George Floyd provided an opportunity for Congress to respond to the unrest in our communities. The people we have been elected to serve have demanded we lead on this issue. Unfortunately, the House voted on another partisan bill going nowhere. This legislation was not inclusionary and would not reform the police. By eliminating qualified immunity and no-knock warrants, it would put police and the populace into dangerous and costly scenarios.

Good afternoon and welcome to our Weekend Update.

I want to take this opportunity to wish my father a Happy Father’s Day. My dad, Stan Meuser, is a retired police detective who taught me so much about the importance of honor and respect, guiding principles that I have passed on to my children. Being a father is the best role in my life. I want to wish everyone a Happy Father’s Day.

Good afternoon and welcome to our weekend update.

Yesterday, we celebrated Women Veterans Recognition Day and I again want to honor the brave women who have served our nation in the armed forces. Thank you for your sacrifice in defending our freedom.

As it has been dominating the news, I want to address the latest on the new policy plank adopted by the extreme left advocating for defunding the police. The left has adopted some extremely radical positions over the last few years... including a push for government-run health care, the federal government takeover of elections, no border security and the “ganGreen New Deal” that will kill tens of thousands of jobs. Still, no policy has been more radical than the push to defund law enforcement.

Good afternoon and welcome to our Week-End Update.

Before I begin, yesterday was the 76th Anniversary of D-Day and I want to take a moment to honor and remember our veterans. One of my closest friends and political mentors is Pat Solano, who is a WWII war hero. I would like to thank Pat, our veterans and all the brave men and women in our armed services for their bravery and sacrifice.

On Tuesday, the Primary Election was in Pennsylvania. While unopposed in the Primary, I want to thank all the voters who went to the polls and cast their ballots on Tuesday. I want to especially thank the 62,366 Republican voters for their vote of support on Election Day. Representing the people of the 9th Congressional District is a tremendous honor and I am looking forward to the upcoming election.

Good morning and welcome to our Week-End Update.

This was a busy week in Washington as we again voted on legislation to support employees and small business owners recover as we continue the work of reopening our economy in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

First, we passed a bill, the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act, which gives small businesses more time to use PPP loans and addresses concerns around loan forgiveness. The bill extends the length of time businesses have to use the loans from 8 weeks to 24 weeks and pushes back the deadline to rehire workers. This new legislation, which still needs to pass in the U.S. Senate, is prospective for new loans. If passed and signed into law, those with current PPP loans can reapply under the new loan provisions. With many businesses still shutdown and the prospect of reopening potentially weeks away, these changes were necessary to continue to support these hardworking Pennsylvanians.

Good afternoon and welcome to our Week-End Update.

Pennsylvania, like the nation, is dealing with a historic and unprecedented public health and economic crisis. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, President Trump has instituted an approach to mitigate the effects of the virus, specifically through partnerships with the private sector. Unfortunately, some governors have deviated from this path in developing plans for their states. This is especially true in Pennsylvania, where Governor Tom Wolf has operated with little transparency and failed to be inclusionary of important industry stakeholders, county commissioners, state legislators and local community leaders as he shut down the state.

After more than eight weeks, several counties citing professional, data-based reasoning began expressing a desire to reopen safely. In response, the Governor publicly called them “cowards,” and threatened to withhold federally-provided coronavirus-related funding. Rather than dismissing them, why not hear them out? County commissioners and state legislators are in constant contact with dozens of their constituents each day - they understand the serious nature of this crisis and the economic ramifications a prolonged shutdown has already had on local livelihoods. The Governor’s response was disturbing and illustrated a lack of understanding of the concerns of hardworking employees and employers who want to safely return to work. Elected officials must have the wisdom to admit that decisions made behind closed doors can be misguided. Fortunately, it is not too late.

Pennsylvania should pivot from its current path towards one that is based upon health and safety and inclusionary of the private sector. Businesses value their employees and have a vested interest in their health and well-being. Why not bring them to the table? Everyone wants to protect public health, but they also want to provide for their families. Pennsylvanians have mainly been confined for eight weeks with no end in sight and are rightly frustrated and anxious. A desire to reopen is not rooted in a rejection of scientists and public health experts but is based on the understanding that if these policies continue, there may be no life to go back to. We cannot let livelihoods die. There is a smarter plan and it must be adopted. Now is the time to change course, be receptive to better ideas and implement a plan that gets the commonwealth safely back to work, before it is too late.

Good evening and welcome to our Week-End Update.

Pennsylvania is slowly beginning to open up counties, but the process for which counties are chosen to relax the stay-at-home restrictions are inconsistent. Again, counties in the 9^th Congressional District have largely been left off the list by the Governor.

Yesterday, twenty-four counties moved from the Red to Yellow Phase, including Bradford, Cameron, Centre, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Forest, Jefferson, Lawrence, Lycoming, McKean, Mercer, Montour, Northumberland, Potter, Snyder, Sullivan, Tioga, Union, Venango, and Warren. Next Friday, the Governor announced the following counties will transition to the Yellow phase or partial reopening (counties located in southwestern Pennsylvania): Allegheny, Armstrong, Bedford, Blair, Butler, Cambria, Fayette, Fulton, Greene, Indiana, Somerset, Washington and Westmoreland.

In the Yellow phase:

• Telework must continue for businesses when possible.
• Businesses with in-person operations must follow business and building safety orders
• Child-care services may reopen following worker and building safety orders
• Congregate care and prison restrictions will remain in place
• Schools will remain closed for in-person instruction
• Stay-at-home orders are lifted.
• Gatherings of more than 25 people are prohibited
• In-person retail is permitted, but curbside and delivery services are preferred
• Indoor recreation, health and wellness facilities, like gyms, spas, hair and nail salons, and entertainment venues like casinos and theaters will remain closed
• Restaurants and bars will still be limited to carry-out and delivery services

Unfortunately, as I stated, this process, like the one the Wolf Administration utilized to grant waivers for businesses, is inconsistent and is not being handled appropriately. People across Pennsylvania want to get back to work and enjoy their freedoms in a safe environment. When I say that, I do believe it appropriate to ask businesses to comply with a set of safety standards to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. However, shutting down large sectors of our economy with no real sign of reopening is having negative effects on hardworking Pennsylvanians.