Good afternoon and welcome to our Weekend Update.

This was a great week on the campaign trail as we work to ensure Pennsylvania delivers all 20 electoral votes to President Trump again in 2020.

On Thursday, I attended a Sportsmen for Trump Rally with Donald Trump, Jr. and Trump Victory Finance National Chair Kimberly Guilfoyle hosted by Bill and Laura Bachenberg at the Lehigh Valley Sporting Clays. The event included a rally for law enforcement and a separate rally for sportsmen. It was a tremendous event and Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle do an incredible job highlighting the countless reasons we must reelect President Trump.

Good afternoon and welcome to our Weekend Update!

The entire nation received welcome news this week, as 1.8 million jobs were added last month. The chart below indicates payroll job losses and gains during the pandemic to date. We are witnessing a Great American comeback. Click here to read more.

But there is more work to do. Unfortunately, Democrats refused to come together on a recovery plan, instead choosing their recession to Election Day plan. 

That is why President Trump has taken matters into his own hands by issuing four executive orders to support workers, students and bolster our economy during the ongoing pandemic.

1. $400 weekly federal unemployment aid
2. Assistance to renters and homeowners by providing temporary financial assistance who are experiencing hardships
3. Payroll Tax holiday defers payments from September 1 to December 31, 2020.
4. Extension of student loan relief

While I would have preferred these measures would have passed U.S. Congress, it is clear the Democratic leadership is more intent on playing politics than supporting American families. 

President Trump was forced to take these actions as it became clear that Democratic leaders were not willing to move hardly at all from their $3.4 trillion wish list. Their plan included a full extension of the $600 unemployment supplement to the end of the year (at a time when many small businesses need those employees to come back to work), a trillion-dollar state bailout to cover costs not related to the pandemic, a Federal takeover of elections, stimulus checks to illegal immigrants and providing SALT tax deductions to the wealthy primarily in states with high tax rates. Any new plan must be about economic recovery, safely getting our children back to school and finding a vaccine.

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.