From the Office of Rep. Chrissy Houlahan

Dear John,

The good news is that spring is here. It’s arriving in fits and starts as usual, but I am happy to see trees budding and flowers blooming in our community and in Washington, D.C. too. If you happen to be heading to the Capitol any time soon, don’t forget to check in with my office. We can help with tours and tickets if you give us advance notice. (Click here to read more.)

I was in PA06 just before the Congressional recess and want to share with you some of what I learned from talking with our neighbors:

Feeding Our Community

I hosted a panel discussion focused on agriculture in our district to get a read on how the farmers, business owners and related officials are feeling about the recent round of tariffs. I was joined by Pennsylvania State Representative Chris Sappey, Chester-Delaware County Farm Bureau’s Julie Brady, Dr. Aliza Simeone from Penn’s New Bolton Center and Christine Smith from South Mill Champs. We all took questions from the audience covering a range of topics.

The dairy and mushroom farmers shared their concerns about workforce consistency and the need for immigration reform. Others discussed struggling with avian flu—the outbreak itself and the downstream consequences on flock health and egg prices. Farmers who export their products talked about how challenging the changing tariff landscape is for their businesses. Some area farmers highlighted their issues with land conservation and its impact on usable land for planting crops.

Many of these issues are the same season in and season out for this fragile part of the national economy. But what is very clear now is that President Trump’s on-again, off-again tariff actions and the chaotic immigration “reforms” are disrupting the local agricultural sector, regardless of the size of the business. These avoidable disruptions are taking their toll and can put farms in jeopardy. No farms, no food. President Trump must be wiser with his Executive Orders and be accountable with his actions.

America's Farmers and Our Food Banks

I had the chance to talk to Nick Imbesi, the director of community relations at the Chester County Food Bank while I was at the agriculture discussion. He updated me on the situation there.

In brief: the Trump Administration cancelled orders already funded by the USDA's Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). Shipments including $25K of cheese, $22K of pork chops, $37K of eggs were all stopped, which directly harms the hungry in our district and the American farmers and ranchers who supplied food for this program. TEFAP uses 100% American-grown foods, meaning our farmers are also losing essential contracts they rely on.

The Trump Administration also cut over $1 billion from the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA), which allocates federal funds to states so they can buy produce from local farmers that then goes to local schools and food banks. The slashes to LFPA have resulted in another $145,000 loss to the Chester County's Food Bank, further restricting its ability to serve the most food-insecure members of our community. (FYI, according to CCFB, in Chester County about 50,000 of our neighbors are food insecure, including over 11,000 children, 3,500 seniors, and 3,400 disabled adults. The problem is nearly as bad in neighboring Berks County where just under 40,000 individuals are food insecure.)

This is bad not only for the people experiencing food insecurity in our community; it’s bad for the country. What President Trump and Elon Musk’s DOGE are doing with TEFAP and LFPA is blatantly unconstitutional. The Constitution gives Congress the “power of the purse” meaning Congress alone has the sole power to craft federal budgets and allocate federal funds—and we had already passed the laws and allocated the funding for this and other food support programs. The Executive Branch, regardless of who is the president, cannot unilaterally halt the dispersal of funds that were duly allocated to these USDA programs. That requires an act of Congress. Unfortunately, my Republican colleagues in Congress seem to be okay with the President taking food away from the hungry in their districts and are doing nothing to stop the President from usurping their (and our) Constitutional power.

Listening to Our Veterans

I invited veterans and their families to get together so I could hear from them directly about how the Trump administration’s cuts to the VA and the firings of veterans who are federal employees across the government are impacting them. It was heartbreaking to hear from so many who fear for the programs they rely on for everything from basic healthcare and physical therapy to prosthetics adjustments and mental health services. I also spoke with a disabled veteran who has been fired from his job at the General Services Administration. He assured me that he and his family (including a newborn) will be okay because he’s confident he can find a new job, but his deep concern rests with vets like him who will not be so fortunate.

Each vet in the room had a story to tell and a fear to share—and each is struggling mightily to come to terms with how we as a nation are treating them, the people who raised their hand and volunteered to protect us in times of war and peace. I’m a veteran. My dad and brother are too. No doubt you know at least one veteran. Imagine how they feel to be treated the way the Trump administration is treating them. It’s shameful, and just like I did when the AIR Commission report called for the closing of the Coatesville VA, I am asking for a meeting with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Doug Collins, and I’ll ask him to imagine it too. I will not let up on the pressure I’m putting on Secretary Collins and everyone in the administration with the power to stop the reckless and dangerous attacks on our veterans.

The Next Generation of Servicemembers

It was my pleasure to host a celebration for the high school students in PA06 who were recently nominated or appointed to attend one of our military service academies. It was a joyous gathering of academy board members, families, and members of my team to recognize the 26 students who went through the rigorous application process and secured a nomination or appointment. Congratulations again to these bright lights in our community! I’m thankful for their commitment to serve our country.

My 97th Town Hall

Next Thursday, April 24th I am hosting my 97th town hall, this one a telephone town hall focusing on tariffs, trade, and the economy. Joining me for this timely conversation is Cristian deRitis from West Chester’s own Moody Analytics and Lucine Sihelnik from the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance. I hope you can tune in! Dial in at 6pm using the telephone number below.

Speaking of Tariffs

Speaking of tariffs, I’d love to hear from you about how the new tariffs are impacting you. Are you a small business owner who is struggling with the rising cost of goods? A farmer concerned about exporting your crops? Do you worry about what happens when the 90-day pause expires? Are you worried about grocery prices going up or the price of things you regularly buy changing? Or are these tariffs actually helping you or your business? Please share your story here!

Serving as our community’s representative in Congress is the honor and privilege of my lifetime, and I hope to hear from you soon about any issue that concerns you.

As always, please contact my office if you need assistance. And for those who celebrate this season, Happy Easter.

Chrissy Houlahan

U.S. Member of Congress

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