Small Businesses Are Job Creators

This week, I hosted a roundtable in Erie with local small business owners. We discussed a whole host of issues, such as the benefits of the new tax law, rolling back burdensome regulations to allow small businesses to expand and create jobs, and the administration's taxes on imported steel and aluminum.

I always appreciate the opportunity to hear directly from the people who make our economy work, and look forward to my next visit to Erie!

You can read about this roundtable here.

Local newspapers and media outlets provide millions of Pennsylvanians with their daily news. When I'm traveling around the state meeting with constituents, I make an effort to sit down with local reporters to update them on my work in Washington and answer their questions.

This week, I stopped by the Erie Times News where we discussed the president's recent national emergency declaration, as well as President Trump's budget request. I also sat down with Tyler Dague at the Meadville Tribune and answered his questions about affordable housing, the Green New Deal, our fight against the deadly opioid epidemic, and my bipartisan legislation to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the dangerously mentally ill. You can read that interview here.

Every one of us knows someone who has been impacted by the deadly opioid epidemic. Tragically, illicit fentanyl crosses our borders and ruins too many lives and communities across Pennsylvania and the nation. We must do more to stop the flow of this deadly drug that is 50 times more powerful than heroin.

That is why I introduced the bipartisan Blocking Deadly Fentanyl Imports Act. This legislation is a commonsense update to existing law that will hold nations accountable for producing and exporting illicit fentanyl into the United States.

I hosted two events this week - in York and Bethlehem - to hear from those fighting this epidemic on the ground. Our communities are making progress, but it's going to take all of us - elected officials, law enforcement, health care providers, neighbors and friends - to stem the tide of the epidemic and save lives.

Read more about my visit to York in the York Dispatch.

I am continually impressed by the students at Pennsylvania's schools. My visit to Grove City College this week was no exception. It became clear very quickly that the students I met were well-informed and passionate about the issues they raised.

You can read about our discussion - and my chilly arrival - in the Sharon Herald.