House Republicans unveil ‘Commitment to America’ plan in Washington County, Democrats respond

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Pa. — House Republicans descended on Washington County Friday to unveil their party’s platform ahead of the Nov. 8 midterm elections.

The platform, entitled “Commitment to America,” is based on four pillars: the economy, safety and security, freedom and government accountability.

Channel 11 spoke with several congressional leaders about the pillars and issues that fall under them.

Economy

“People in my district are making decisions between putting gas in their tank or buying food on a weekly basis,” Rep. Lloyd Smucker (Penn.-11) said.

Education

“Every child is allowed a certain amount of dollars. Think of it as a backpack, and the parent being the primary educator deciding where the child goes with that backpack,” Rep. Burgess Owens (Utah-04) said of the so-called “Parents’ Bill of Rights.”

Safety and Security

“We’re going to do something called “cops grant programs” nationwide. We’re going to beef up that money big time. We’re also going to provide bonuses and incentives for people to go into the profession,” Rep. John Katko (N.Y.-24) said.

“We also want to add 200,000 police officers all over the United States,” Rep. Guy Reshenthaler (Penn.-14) said.

Southern Border

“I think a large part of it is a lot of our House members have been to the border, have seen it firsthand. There’s a lot of nuances to it. Every mile of the southern border is completely different than the other,” Rep. Tony Gonzales (Texas-23) said.

“Fentanyl, the number one killer of Americans between 18 and 45,” Rep. Kevin McCarthy, House Republican Leader, said.

Other

“We wanted to put on paper, not just what we’re against, but what we’re for,” Republican Whip Steve Scalise said. “If we win in these districts that are swing districts and get a Republican majority, we have a mandate to go do this in Washington.”

Democrat Response

“I, as a Pennsylvanian, I look forward to hearing what they say, and the voters have a real choice when it comes to deciding between them and my team,” Gov. Tom Wolf said.

“Their new platform, which isn’t frankly new, is long on slogans and short on details, which is usually the case. That’s because the true details of the Republican agenda are too frightening for American voters,” Rep. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said. “Talk is cheap. Action is what the men and women that they represent, and the men and women that I represent, want. Not talk, action. That’s what we’ve done. That’s what we’ve done this past Congress. That’s what the president of the United States has done.”

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW

Man allegedly kills wife, told 911 he was possessed by demons The man allegedly told dispatchers that he had been possessed most of his life but didn’t fully realize it until last April. (NCD)

©2022 Cox Media Group