August Recap: How We’ve Been Fighting for You

6 min readSep 2, 2020

I want you to know that I am hearing all of your concerns about attacks on the resources you need to get through this economic and public health crisis and want to give you an update on how I’m fighting for you.

House Democrats passed a massive relief bill three months ago, but we have not given up the fight to deliver the economic and health care resources the American people need to get through this public health and economic crisis. We repeat our call to the Senate to return to the table to work together to deliver immediate relief to you, your families, and your small businesses.

Here’s how I spent the past couple of weeks working for you:

Joined my colleagues to fight for USPS

It is astonishing that we have to fight against an administration actively working to undercut the US Postal Service in the middle of a global pandemic. Our office has received hundreds of calls and letters from constituents who have not had mail delivered, vets and seniors missing critical medication, and business owners suffering losses due to erratic mail service.

I was proud to support the Delivering for America Act, critical legislation to support the US Postal Service and our postal workers and to roll back changes made by this administration that have undermined service. Watch my speech from the floor by clicking here: https://twitter.com/RepMGS/status/1297191535767949314/video/1

The Delivering for America Act would prohibit:

Any change that would generally affect service on a nationwide or substantially nationwide basis;
Any revision of existing service standards;
Closing, consolidating or reducing the hours of any post office or postal facility;
Any prohibition on paying overtime to Postal Service officers or employees;
Any change that would prevent the Postal Service from meeting its service standards or cause a decline in measurements of performance relative to those standards; and
Any change that would have the effect of delaying mail or increasing the volume of undelivered mail.

This legislation will also:

Include $25 billion requested by the Postal Service and supported unanimously and on a bipartisan basis by the Trump-appointed Postal Board of Governors;
Require the Postal Service to treat all official election mail as First-Class mail;
Prohibit the removal, decommissioning or other stoppage of mail sorting machines, other than for routine maintenance;
Prohibit the removal of mailboxes; and
Explicitly reverse any changes already implemented to the operations or policies of the Postal Service that delay mail delivery.

This bill is currently waiting for a vote in the Senate. Click the links below to read more about our work here:

Demanded Oversight of Questionable PPP Payment to a closed business

I have been calling for oversight of the PPP program to ensure that relief is distributed as Congress intended — to help small businesses in our communities.

We learned that a restaurant in our district, which closed seven 7 years ago, received a PPP loan. The American people deserve to know where their money is going. I’ve demanded answers from the SBA, the Buca Restaurant chain, and the bank that submitted the loan.

Read more here: https://link.medium.com/bg3mbYrI18

Hosted a roundtable to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on housing security for families in our region.

Rising housing costs over the past decade have strained family budgets, making many chronically “house poor” due to their rent, mortgage, or other housing costs. Right here in PA-5, over 24,000 households spend more than 50% of their income on housing costs. As a result, too many people have little-to-no savings, and find themselves just one unexpected expense away from insolvency.

This global health crisis and the resulting financial crisis have illuminated many inequities in our country, particularly in the areas of housing, health, and economic security.

I was grateful to be joined by the following panelists:

Dana Goldberg, Legal Director at the Senior Law Center
Christina Drzal, Supervising Attorney of the Regional Housing Unit at Legal Aid of Southeastern PA
Margaret Robinson, Attorney at Philadelphia Legal Assistance
Dr. Monica Taylor, Vice Chair of the Delaware County Council
Robin Weissmann, Executive Director of the PA Housing Finance Agency

Listen to our discussion about your rights and programs here: https://www.facebook.com/RepMGS/videos/713299125883385/

Introduced the Protecting Access to Justice for Survivors Act

Human trafficking is a tragedy that occurs across America, and right here in PA05, every single day. All too often, victims arrested for crimes that are a result of being trafficked are unable to find legal representation necessary to clear those records and get a clean start. I’m proud to join Rep. Ann Wagner in introducing this bill to allow the use of Department of Justice funds for legal representation of these survivors. Every person deserves access to justice.

Hosted a Roundtable Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act

As we celebrated the anniversary of the passage of ADA last month, we recognize that there’s still so much work to be done. Whether in our schools or at our polling booths, individuals with disabilities are still underserved. Congress must protect every person’s ability to be educated, access quality healthcare, participate meaningfully in our economy and in our democracy, regardless of physical or mental disabilities. I was proud to be joined by this amazing group of panelists to discuss our path forward:

Neil McDevitt, Executive Director, Deaf-Hearing Communication Center
Erin Gabriel, Director of Advocacy, Little Lobbyists PA Chapter
Ann Perng, Co-founder, Chinatown Disability Advocacy Project; Commissioner,Philadelphia Mayor’s Commission on People with Disabilities
Jessica Benham, Director of Public Policy at the Pittsburgh Center for Autistic Advocacy
Kelly Darr, Legal Director at Disability Rights PA

Watch our conversation here: https://www.facebook.com/RepMGS/videos/2661907744125576/

Joined the Delco Black Caucus in calling for an investigation into the actions of violent counter-protesters and the response of the Ridley Township Police Department

Inciting violence and wielding hate as a form of intimidation has no place in our country. When counter protesters hurled abuse and tried to intimidate participants at a peaceful rally and protest in Ridley, it was a reminder to all of us just how far we have to go in terms of delivering justice and ensuring safety and equality for Black Americans.

I am committed to fighting for the resources that you need to get through this unprecedented time — safe and healthy. Thank you for everything you’re doing to keep your friends, family, and neighbors safe. Keep social distancing. Keep wearing a mask in public.

Our office is here to help as we navigate this crisis together. You can reach us by phone at 610 — 626 — 2020 or by sending me a message through our website at scanlon.house.gov/contact.

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