All four congressmen who represent Northeast and Northcentral Pennsylvania backed the Senate version of President Donald Trump’s $4.5 trillion budget bill that the House passed Thursday by a tight 218-214 vote.
Rep. Rob Bresnahan, R-Luzerne, Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Luzerne, Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh, and Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Centre, also all voted for the earlier House version on May 22.
With his vote, Bresnahan sloughed off the special attention paid to him Wednesday by House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who targeted Bresnahan and other Republican congressmen for backing a bill that would cut Medicaid, food stamp benefits and taxes.
“Why would anyone vote for this dangerous and extreme bill?” Jeffries said during a news conference on the steps of the Capitol amid other Democratic House members. “Why would Rob Bresnahan vote for this bill? More than 30,000 people would lose access to their health care in his community in Pennsylvania. Almost 60,000 households could lose access to food assistance in his community. At risk of going hungry. Why would Rob Bresnahan vote for this bill?”
Jeffries, a New York resident, used virtually the same language expect for adjusted numbers against Republican Rep. Scott Perry of York County and others nationwide.
Hannah Pope, Bresnahan’s spokeswoman, did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Jeffries' remarks.
She did release a statement following the vote in which Bresnahan lauded his vote as delivering on "the promise I made to the people of Northeastern Pennsylvania."
Republican Reps. Thomas Massie (Ky.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.) joined all Democrats in voting against the bill.
Record-breaking remarks by Jeffries
Jeffries began speaking on the House floor about the bill just before 5 a.m., using a privilege that allows leaders to unlimited time to speak after other members finish debating. He finished up shortly after 1:30 p.m. His 8 hour, 44 minute speech set a record.
But it didn't stop the bill.
Analysts and Democratic critics say the measure will strip Medicaid and food stamp benefits from millions of people and the tax cuts would benefit mostly the wealthy.
Republicans and proponents say the tax cuts would benefit everyone, especially senior citizens, homeowners, restaurant staff who earn tips and people who work overtime. They say they are only barring undocumented immigrants from receiving Medicaid and food stamps and requiring other beneficiaries to work, go to school or perform community service to get them.
Bresnahan's role in focus
Bresnahan voted for the House version of the act May 22 and the Senate version on Thursday to send the bill to President Donald Trump. So did three other Northeast and Northcentral Pennsylvania House members: Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Luzerne, Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh, and Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Centre.
All the Republican congressmen whom Jeffries called out represent swing districts that Democrats think they can flip in the midterm elections next year.
Democratic groups have focused on unseating Bresnahan since just after he took office Jan. 3. The 8th Congressional District seat is expected to be one of the most hotly contested and expensive in the country.
Bresnahan won his seat last November by defeating Democratic Rep. Matt Cartwright by less than 2 percent of the total votes cast.
Multiple Democrats are mulling running for the seat, but no one has announced a candidacy.
Reaction to Thursday's vote
Reaction to Thursday's vote swiftly poured in from all corners, and predictably split along partisan lines.
• From Bresnahan: “This bill delivers on the promise I made to the people of Northeastern Pennsylvania by providing the largest working-class tax cuts in American history, eliminating taxes on tips and overtime, and securing the southern border.
“We also protect and strengthen Medicaid by cracking down on the fraud, waste, and abuse that is driving the program toward collapse. This ensures Medicaid is there for seniors, people with disabilities, and vulnerable families, not for those who can work but refuse to do so.
“Most importantly, we worked directly with the White House to ensure all our hospitals in Northeastern Pennsylvania will qualify for the funding they need to stay open and protect critical healthcare access for our communities.”
• From Meuser: A fellow Luzerne County Republican, the 9th District congressman also voted in favor.
“The One Big Beautiful Bill is a direct response to what the American people have demanded—secure borders, lower costs, greater opportunity, and an accountable government that works for them, not against them," Meuser said.
“This bill makes permanent the tax relief passed in President Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and prevents the largest tax increase in American history. If Congress did not pass the OBBB, we’d be guaranteeing a $4 trillion tax hike on the American people—raising taxes on 165 million taxpayers and over 33 million small businesses," he said.
Meuser also said "this bill strengthens Medicaid for those it was intended to support. It includes common-sense work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents, removes individuals who are ineligible under the law from the rolls, and, beginning in October 2026, it ends the federal cost-share for states that choose to include illegal immigrants in their Medicaid programs ..."
• From Thompson: This week, House and Senate Republicans delivered a significant win for American families, workers, and small businesses by passing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act—a bold step toward restoring prosperity, security, and strength. This historic legislation prevented the largest tax increase in American history, providing direct relief to working families and boosting take-home pay. It cuts wasteful spending, eliminates red tape, and includes key investments in border security, energy independence, and national defense.
• From Fitzpatrick, a Bucks County congressman who was one of only two Republicans to vote against the bill: "As I’ve stated throughout these negotiations, with each iteration of legislative text that was placed on the House Floor, I’ve maintained a close and watchful eye on the specific details of these provisions, and determined the specific district impact, positive or negative, on our PA-1 community."
"I voted to strengthen Medicaid protections, to permanently extend middle class tax cuts, for enhanced small business tax relief, and for historic investments in our border security and our military," Fitzpatrick said
"However, it was the Senate’s amendments to Medicaid, in addition to several other Senate provisions, that altered the analysis for our PA-1 community. The original House language was written in a way that protected our community; the Senate amendments fell short of our standard. I believe in, and will always fight for, policies that are thoughtful, compassionate, and good for our community. It is this standard that will always guide my legislative decisions," Fitzpatrick wrote.
• Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, tweeted that the bill is "shameful and it is going to hurt Pennsylvania."
"The Republican members of our delegation who voted for this bill just voted for: cutting healthcare and food assistance for over half a million Pennsylvanians, eliminating 26,000 energy jobs and raising our electricity bills, putting at risk rural hospitals across Pennsylvania — all while adding an unconscionable $3.3 trillion to our national deficit," Shapiro wrote.
"This bill is Washington at its worst — and it is going to hurt our Commonwealth for years to come. These members voted for this legislation with eyes wide open — and the consequences are on them."
• Action Together NEPA Executive Director Alisha Hoffman-Mirilovich: Leader of the local activist group, which this week held a last-ditch demonstration outside Bresnahan's Scranton office hoping to change his vote, said the bill "guts Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to give a massive tax breaks to billionaires and corporations."
“We are especially disappointed in freshman Congressman Rob Bresnahan,” Hoffman-Mirilovich said. “Representative Bresnahan repeatedly promised to vote against any bill that guts benefits for the people in his district. And yet, he voted to do just that every single time it was up for a vote. His yes vote on the bill’s final passage this morning is the last straw – he can no longer claim that he cares about his constituents losing care. He can no longer claim to be concerned about gutting Medicaid. He just showed his constituents that he does not work for them, because he’s a rubber stamp for Donald Trump and the billionaires who will benefit from this bill.”
“To Congressman Bresnahan: your constituents know you lied to them, and they know you voted to kick them off their healthcare," Hoffman-Mirilovich said. "Your constituents will hold you accountable. Elections have consequences, and so do your actions. You have abdicated your responsibility and sentenced thousands you serve to needless pain and suffering. And we will remember that.”
