Ways & Means Committee Field Hearing on the Economy  

On Monday, I joined my colleagues in the House Ways & Means Committee for a field hearing on the state of the American economy. It was great to be outside the beltway to hear directly from the American people about their struggles and the negative impact of the Biden administration’s policies. This first field hearing was held in West Virginia.

It was disappointing that only one Democrat member of the committee out of eighteen chose to attend the hearing, which was intended to be a bipartisan opportunity to learn about the challenges facing American families and small businesses. I think it is a shame. They would have heard from the witnesses about the policies that they need from Washington in order to be successful: fighting inflation, promoting domestic energy production, finding a way to get people back to work, and supporting a good education system.

Click here to watch the Ways & Means Committee field hearing on the state of the American economy. 

Supporting Career and Technical Education 

This week, I was pleased to speak at the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) legislative meeting to discuss priorities for the Education and Workforce Committee for the 118th Congress. I appreciate the work of community colleges who are playing an incredibly important role in providing the next generation of Americans the skills needed to succeed in the workforce. Community colleges often leverage strong relationships with industry partners, to help prepare students for in-demand jobs.

Expanding career and technical education programs will be a key priority for the Education and Workforce Committee this Congress. The PELL Act would expand Pell Grant eligibility to high-quality, short-term programs for workers looking to gain skills for in-demand fields.

I hear it from small businesses across our community, a key problem hindering their growth is the inability to find qualified employees to fill their vacant positions. Creating additional opportunities for career and technical education, like the PELL Act and my USA Workforce Tax Credit Act, would provide additional support for these critical programs.

Click here to read more about my remarks shared with the AACC.

Reaction to President Biden's State of the Union Address 

On Tuesday, President Biden delivered his State of the Union address.

The State of the Union address (SOTU) is the opportunity for a president to deliver an honest assessment of the country’s current operations, as well as lay out his plan for the upcoming year. The American people expect the truth but also an inspiring message. Unfortunately, we didn’t hear that. It was a speech of talking points.

The president’s remarks demonstrated his view of big government being the answer for all the problems facing our nation. Congressional Republicans, in contrast, believe in the ingenuity of the American spirit to address the issues we face.

What the American people learned from President Biden’s address is that he doesn’t live in the same world as them and doesn’t understand the challenges they are facing. We heard statements about the economy that are out of touch with what you – my constituents – are experiencing here at home and what many Americans are grappling with across the country. The president tried to sugarcoat the American economy, but the reality is the American people are struggling because of the policies of his administration.

We know the president’s spending policy has led to inflation that remains near 40-year highs and that his energy policies have raised the cost of energy for families, who are struggling to make ends meet. Many constituents have contacted me to share how they have been impacted by their electricity bills nearly doubling over the past year.

We did not hear the president talk about unleashing American energy dominance to lower costs for American families. Instead, Biden patted himself on the back for offering tax credits for electric vehicles while mentioning America would need oil “for at least another decade.” The president’s comments are wildly out of touch with what families are experiencing in our community.

The president stated he wished to address border security and wanted discussions about our national debt. If the president is serious about addressing these issues, House Republicans would be ready to work with him. However, if the past two years of his policies are any indication, it’s unlikely that the president’s rhetoric will match the reality of his proposed policies.

Click here to watch my reaction to the president’s comments.  

York County District Attorney Dave Sunday attended the SOTU address as my guest. District Attorney Sunday is on the frontlines of keeping our community safe, supporting our police, and working together with law enforcement and community organizations to combat the fentanyl and opioid crisis. I appreciate his service to our community and thank him for joining me.

January in Review 

The first month of the year is in the books and 118th Congress is off to a great start. Watch, like, and share the first edition of my new video series recapping each month in Congress!

Supporting Legislation to End the CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccine Travel Mandate 

This week I spoke on the floor of the House in favor of ending the CDC’s COVID-19 vaccine travel mandate. A Lancaster County native and constituent who is completing his education abroad is unable to move his family home because of this misguided government red tape. Click here to learn more about the impacted family.

Watch my remarks below.

Visits in the District 

It was an honor to meet with Christian Dürr, a Member of the German parliament, the Bundestag, to discuss trade and energy policy, and opportunities to strengthen the ties of friendship between our two nations. Thanks for visiting! Danke schön! 

Thanks to students from Lancaster Bible College for visiting our nation’s capital this month. It was great to meet you!

Thanks to Dr. Jonathan Bornman of Lancaster for attending this year’s National Prayer Breakfast as my guest.

Smucker Service Corner 

If you have any questions or issues with a federal agency, please know that my office is here to assist you. You can call my district or Washington, DC offices for assistance or visit my website for any issue with a federal agency or department.

My office was able to assist Robert from Landisville receive his delayed 2020 IRS tax refund.  

Steve from Lancaster received back payment from the Social Security Administration, after my staff was able to help correct an error.

Here to Help

Starting Jan. 17, Veterans in suicidal crisis can go to any Veterans Affairs or non-VA health care facility for free emergency health care. Click here to learn more.

Recently the new 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline was launched. Individuals who are struggling or in crisis can simply call or text 988 to reach trained counselors. Individuals can also visit https://988lifeline.org/ to chat with a counselor. Click here to learn more about the lifeline from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Many individuals have recently contacted my office looking for assistance with their unemployment compensation claims, which are administered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, not federal agencies. If you’re seeking assistance with your unemployment claim, you can contact your state legislator for assistance. Click here to find your state legislator’s contact information. 

Looking for information on federal grants? Learn more about the grant awarding process and search the federal database of grant programs at www.grants.gov.

Stay Connected

To stay up-to-date on my work in the district and Washington, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. You can also check out my YouTube page, where there are 100+ videos, many of which are direct responses to your questions.

Sincerely,

Lloyd Smucker