Brian Fitzpatrick

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I believe that anyone who works hard and plays by the rules should be able to achieve their own American dream. My economic priorities are straightforward: support measures that put American workers and businesses back at the forefront of our economy to create family-sustaining careers and true wealth for our nation.

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Like most of you, my parents worked a lifetime to earn their Medicare and Social Security. Some politicians seek to cut these programs. I will fight to protect and strengthen these programs for all of our seniors.

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Every man, woman, and child should have affordable health insurance but skyrocketing costs are forcing thousands in Pennsylvania to be uninsured. This is unacceptable. In Congress, I’m fighting for a health care system that works for everyone and lowers the cost of prescription drugs.

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The United States of America is a nation of the rule of law and a nation of compassion. We are a nation of good, generous, and loving human beings who hold a shared belief in both fairness and justice. When it comes to immigration, those qualities are rooted in two principles: 1) Sovereign nations have both the right and the obligation to defend their borders and enforce their laws; and 2) The human dignity and human rights of all undocumented immigrants, particularly children, must be respected and protected. As a community, I believe we must insist on achieving both.

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Fighting for Equal Rights

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In Congress, I am fighting to provide an opportunity to all Americans. I have supported a simpler, fairer tax code. Across our communities, small businesses are already hiring more while their workers receive bonuses and higher take-home pay. We must do whatever we can to promote Made in America initiatives. American manufacturing means American jobs. People in my community understand that when they buy American they’re not only buying quality products, they’re helping American businesses – and American workers – in their neighborhoods and across the country. Moreover, a continuous review and the repeal of outdated federal regulations will ease the burden on local small businesses and their employees.

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Hardworking Americans have worked hard to secure the benefits they need to retire, paying into the system for decades and playing by the rules. Senior citizens who receive their Social Security payments should not have their income reduced by double taxation. That’s why I strongly support the Senior Citizens Tax Elimination Act to eliminate income taxes on Social Security benefits and boost the retirement income of millions of older Americans. In the same vein, I have cosponsored the Social Security Fairness Act to repeal the government pension offset and windfall elimination provisions, which hurts many retirees in public service professions.

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In Congress, I’m fighting for a health care system that works for everyone, increases access and competition, and lowers the cost of prescription drugs. I voted for legislation to establish a fair price negotiation program, protect the Medicare program from excessive price increase and establish an out-of-pocket maximum for Medicare part D enrollees. And I will continue to protect Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

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Our current immigration system is completely broken. Millions of people are living in our country without the proper documentation. Surges of asylum seekers continue to overwhelm our law enforcement along the border. Our government agencies aren’t being given the resources they need to process those arriving at points of entry. No matter which angle you approach this problem from, we should all view this as unacceptable.

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In Congress as Chair of the Bipartisan Opioid Task Force, I am committed to help Pennsylvania and local municipalities in their efforts to address this crisis and tackle this ongoing challenge head-on. I was proud to support the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act. This bipartisan bill will help in our overall efforts to combat the opioid crisis by advancing treatment and recovery initiatives, improving prevention, protecting our communities, and bolstering our efforts to fight deadly illicit synthetic drugs like fentanyl.

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I have also worked in a bipartisan fashion to stand up for the American worker and American industry. By reforming unfair trade deals that put the American worker at a disadvantage, we put American workers first. By voting for the USMCA, we vastly improved the original NAFTA with enforceable labor standards while promoting American trade and exports. I will also defend American businesses from the predatory economic practices of foreign competitors and adversaries. That is why I strongly supported the reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank, which is pivotal to the creation and sustainability of U.S. jobs in manufacturing and promoting American exports.

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I led by example with regards to No Budget, No Pay during the last government shutdown. Following through on my promise to return pay during the government shutdown, I wrote a $10,008.68 check to the United States Treasury –the net pay from the 35-day government shutdown. If over 800,000 federal employees and their families were forced to live without their paychecks due to no fault of their own, then no Member of Congress should accept a dime of pay during a government shutdown. If Members of Congress actually feel the pain of the people they represent, perhaps they would approach their jobs differently. I am the author of the “No Budget, No Pay” legislation and I will always abide by it.

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I will always stand to protect the benefits our seniors are owed. Make no mistake, it’s your money, and I am absolutely committed to protecting the benefits you earned. Our seniors also deserve a fairer, enhanced COLA (CPI-E) so that benefits are not diminished by rising costs in goods and services that disproportionately affect seniors. Furthermore, we must also protect the medical expense tax deduction to allow individuals to deduct high out-of-pocket medical costs from their taxable income.

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We need to proceed in fixing our healthcare system in a responsible, deliberate manner. That means any changes to our current system must ensure both the continuity of coverage and the continuity of patient protection provisions for those with preexisting conditions. Our system needs reform, and that is why I have supported tort reform to drive down the cost of health care, the repeal the bureaucratic Independent Payment Advisory Boards established by Obamacare, which threatened seniors and their hard-earned Medicare benefits, and the repeal of the medical device tax. We also need to lower the cost of prescription drugs, and I have introduced the bipartisan Increasing Access to Biosimilars Act to help reduce the cost of prescription drugs by encouraging competition and increasing access to biosimilars.

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I’ve seen firsthand the threats our nation faces from a porous border and a broken immigration system: First as an FBI Agent working border security, and later as a member of Congress’ Homeland Security Committee. Congress must act now to secure our borders, respect the rule of law, and show compassion for those legitimately fleeing gang violence and drug cartels.

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To tackle the addiction epidemic, we must also deal with mental health and ensure that those suffering from addiction and mental health issues get the care they need. I have led bipartisan efforts to remove barriers to substance use disorder treatment services under Medicaid. I also support the Parity Enforcement Act and Mental Health Compliance Act to strengthen enforcement of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act by requiring health plans and insurers to comply with federal parity requirements on providing equal coverage for mental and medical care. When approaching health policy, we must make sure that we give mental health the same attention that we devote to physical illness.

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Apprenticeships and workforce development programs also offer career opportunities for students and young people. My bipartisan Youth Workforce Readiness Act would provide funding for hands-on skills education at after-school programs for students starting in elementary school. Supported by the YMCA and Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the Youth Workforce Readiness Act will ensure that students can experience technical education options at after-school programs starting at age six. Also, a traditional college education may not be the best option for every student. That is why I strongly support the 529 OPTIONS Act, which would allow tax-free distributions from section 529 college savings plans for certain expenses associated with registered apprenticeship programs. We must give our young people and their families the ability to invest in the educational pathway that is best suited for their desired career goals.

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Only five percent of our approximately 2,400 national monuments honor women. We must do better to honor the achievements of women. That is why I co-led the Smithsonian Women’s History Museum Act to create a national museum dedicated to American women’s history. As the first museum in the United States dedicated to the full story of women’s history, this museum will tell the diverse story of the women who helped shape America. I also helped to introduce the Rose the Riveter Congressional Gold Medal Act to honor the trailblazing American women who stepped up during World War II. During World War II, women across the country – and across our district – left their homes for factory jobs in support of the war effort: Working as riveters, buckers, welders, and electricians. These ‘Rosie the Riveters’ embodied the ‘We can do it’ spirit forever connected with the famous poster.

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In terms of quicker access to cures, I authored Right to Try legislation, which gives those suffering from a terminal disease the chance to try potentially life-saving treatments and have voted for record NIH Funding for greater research into potential cures for life-threatening diseases. I also am fighting for cures for kids with cancer. My bipartisan Fairness to Kids with Cancer Act would boost the share of federal funds for cancer research that is allocated to pediatric cancer research to equal the percentage of the U.S. population that is under the age of 18.

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I co-led the long-term, bipartisan reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. The program has helped millions of women and their families by improving the criminal justice system response to domestic violence and ensuring survivors and their families have access to the services they need to safely rebuild their lives. I also supported the States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act that gives federal, state, and local prosecutors the tools they need to hold websites accountable for supporting the sale of sex trafficking victims. As the author of the bipartisan End Banking for Human Traffickers Act which, I will continue to bolster efforts to help law enforcement and financial institutions identify and report suspected human traffickers so that criminal syndicates can be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and be cut off from the global financial system.

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I will continue to raise awareness of faulty or harmful medical devices, and advance legislation that protects patients and puts their interests first. I have supported the Medical Device Guardians Act and Medical Device Safety Act to protect women and put their interests first. I have also been a strong proponent of increasing vital funding for medical research, have requested a doubling of funding for women’s health at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and supported a $2.6 billion increase in the NIH funding to invest in the cures of the future.

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I will always support our Customs and Border Protection officers. These brave men and women spend every day on the front lines, defending our borders from those who wish us harm. Congress must fully fund investments in technology, including drones and aerial surveillance, infrared technology, heat sensors, motion detectors, and an array of 21st century high-tech options that serve as force-multipliers along the border. And this includes physical barriers where law enforcement deem them necessary.

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As Americans, we have a clear choice to make. We must find the compromise that both secures our borders and protects our Dreamers. To support one without the other is to support neither. We must end the partisanship, come to the center to build consensus, and solve the problem. Our nation’s security, and our nation’s children, require this from all of us.