Local Pennsylvania leaders and concerned community members gathered in Wilkes-Barre to hold elected officials accountable for ignoring the needs of working families

May 1, 2025

Wilkes-Barre, PENNSYLVANIA – As President Trump and congressional Republicans passed the 100-day mark of federal government control, the Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy (CFFE) gathered with local leaders, advocates, and community members to launch Affordable Pennsylvania. This campaign will raise awareness about the failure of Representatives Ryan Mackenzie (PA-07), Rob Bresnahan (PA-08) and Scott Perry (PA-10) to take meaningful action to lower costs for Pennsylvania families and urge them to do more to make life affordable for working people.

The convening brought together leaders from CFFE, Action Together NEPA, Pennsylvania Policy Center and Pennsylvanians Together to send their elected officials the message that our economy should work for everyone, not just the wealthy few.

“The first 100 days of the Trump administration have been a complete disaster for working families, and Reps. Mackenzie, Bresnahan and Perry remain unwilling to stand up for their constituents and bring down costs,” said Affordable Pennsylvania Campaign Director Rachele Fortier. “That inaction propelled Pennsylvanians to come together last night and organize around a better future where officials work for working families, not billionaires.  Affordable Pennsylvania will demand that these members step up and prove whose side they are really on.”

Northeastern Pennsylvanians who attended the launch event heard from:

• Iris Rakowsi, Legislative & Political Liaison for AFGE Local 2809 and retired Social Security professional, spoke about cuts to Social Security, which would devastate the seniors and children who rely on these benefits to make ends meet;

• Roxanne Rembis, a local Medicaid advocate, shared how cuts to Medicaid would impact her father, who relies on Medicaid to afford the $11,000 monthly bill for his nursing home care; and 

• Jay Reeder, a small business owner and Assistant Treasurer of the NAACP Luzerne County Branch, spoke about how increased costs of supplies threaten the long-term financial health of the local cleaning business he built.

Throughout this campaign, Affordable Pennsylvania will use direct mail, grassroots organizing, digital outreach, and television ads to elevate constituents’ voices and demand Reps. Mackenzie, Bresnahan, and Perry reverse course and act to lower costs at grocery stores, pharmacy counters, and day care centers—to name a few.

Keep track of Affordable Pennsylvania’s activities by following on X at @AffordablePA and on Bluesky at @affordablepa.bsky.social.

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Affordable Pennsylvania is fighting to expose elected leaders who promised to stand with working families and lower costs, only to take vote after vote neglecting the needs of their constituents. We do this by making Pennsylvanians’ voices heard and pushing members of Congress to take meaningful action to address the skyrocketing cost of things like groceries, child care and prescription drugs.