Latest news with #RyanMackenzie
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Fresh humiliation for married congressman caught lying on TINDER as his cover-up backfires in mortifying fashion
GOP Congressman Ryan Mackenzie lied about his age on Tinder – and now he has been accused of trying to cover up the scandal ahead of a hotly contested election. The Daily Mail exclusively revealed last June Mackenzie, now a freshman in the US House of Representatives, had been swiping on the dating and hookup app saying he was 29 when he was actually 37.
Fox News
19-05-2025
- Business
- Fox News
GOP lawmaker rallies around Trump's tax-cut campaign as competitive 2026 House race looms: 'Big issue'
Print Close By Deirdre Heavey Published May 19, 2025 BETHLEHEM, PA – Freshman GOP Rep. Ryan Mackenzie flipped a congressional seat in the Lehigh Valley just six months ago, but with competitive midterm elections expected in 2026, Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is already building its grassroots coalition in his swing district. It's an off-election year for Mackenzie, who unseated longtime Democrat Rep. Susan Wild in November, but as the 42-year-old jogged through neighborhood blocks in Bethlehem and greeted constituents at their doors on Saturday afternoon, the newest Pennsylvania congressman still has 17 months before his first re-election challenge. Mackenzie joined AFP activists in the Lehigh Valley on Saturday for a day of action, designed to educate constituents on his work to extend President Donald Trump's 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) and pass Trump's "big, beautiful bill" as budget negotiations continue back on Capitol Hill. He said it was his first time door knocking since winning in November. "We have a tremendous opportunity as members of Congress to actually pass transformative legislation which will bring down taxes and the cost of living for not only individuals, but small businesses all across this country. For the past four years, we've seen that inflation has been out of control, driving up the prices of everything — food, fuel, housing, healthcare," Mackenzie told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview. GOP REPS, ADVOCACY GROUP TO TARGET COMPETITIVE HOUSE DISTRICTS IN TRUMP TAX-CUT PUSH "It's been very difficult for people to make ends meet. That was a big issue in the campaign, and now we have that opportunity to deliver, as members of Congress, with significant tax reform and tax relief," Mackenzie added. CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS TARGETING DOZENS OF HOUSE REPUBLICAN-HELD SEATS IN 2026 MIDTERM BATTLE FOR MAJORITY Conservative holdouts stalled a procedural vote for reconciliation on Friday, prompting House leaders to return to the Hill late Sunday night to continue negotiations. Meanwhile, Trump is urging House Republicans to pass his "big, beautiful bill" following his high-profile diplomatic trip to the Middle East last week. "Ultimately, we do have to get a resolution that satisfies 218 members of Congress. We're very close to doing that, and this is all part of the process. Nobody should be upset or concerned about any kind of little bumps in the road, because ultimately, we're going to come together to do what's right for the American people," Mackenzie said. The conservative advocacy group teamed up with GOP Reps. David Schweikert and Juan Ciscomani of Arizona, Ashley Hinson of Iowa, Tom Barrett of Michigan and Mackenzie of Pennsylvania for door-knocking, phone banks and grassroots organizing in a show of support for Trump's tax cuts this weekend — telling constituents how their representatives are working to alleviate financial burden for everyday Americans. AFP shared with Fox News Digital that they reached over 90,000 voters on Saturday. "Americans for Prosperity Pennsylvania has been on the ground knocking doors, making calls, hosting events, and organizing demonstrations to educate and show the urgency for Congress to make provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent," Emily Greene, Americans for Prosperity Pennsylvania State Director, told Fox News Digital. "We're talking with taxpayers and business owners every day who understand that Congress needs to get to work — we can't risk facing the largest tax hike in American history. After four years of record-high inflation, taxpayers deserve better." AFP launched the day of action in conjunction with a $20 million "Protect Prosperity" campaign, which the advocacy group called the single largest investment of any outside group dedicated to preserving the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. And it's no coincidence that AFP focused its attention on competitive congressional districts in Arizona, Iowa, Michigan and Pennsylvania this weekend, as contentious races are expected in 2026. While Saturday's day of action was designed to spotlight how Republican representatives are working in Washington, D.C., to boost the economy for everyday Americans back home, it also launched an early messaging campaign. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP As Democrats try to win back control in the House of Representatives in 2026, AFP is getting ahead of Democrats' likely attacks on vulnerable Republicans' support for Trump's "big, beautiful bill" — by telling Republican voters that their representatives are delivering for them. Print Close URL
Bloomberg
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Balance of Power: Early Edition 05/15/2025
On the early edition of Balance of Power, Bloomberg Washington Correspondents Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz discuss negotiations in the House of Representatives over reconciliation. On today's show, Bloomberg Chief Political Correspondent Annmarie Hordern, Republican Congressman Marlin Stutzman of Indiana, Stonecourt Capital Partner Rick Davis, Center for the Study of the Presidency & Democracy Senior Democracy Fellow Jeanne Sheehan Zaino, Republican Congressman Ryan Mackenzie of Pennsylvania and Bloomberg Editor in Chief Emeritus Matthew A. Winkler. (Source: Bloomberg)
Bloomberg
15-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
GOP Trying to 'Strike Balance' on SALT Cap: Rep. Mackenzie
Ryan Mackenzie, Republican Congressman from Pennsylvania, talks ongoing negotiations around the SALT tax and the dueling timelines on extending the Trump tax policy and raising the debt ceiling. (Source: Bloomberg)
Yomiuri Shimbun
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Trump Tariffs Set off Doubts — Even in Rust Belt Area He Pledged to Restore
Hannah Yoon/For The Washington Post People protest in front of Rep. Ryan Mackenzie's office in Allentown on April 28. ALLENTOWN, Pennsylvania – One month into a sweeping new tariff regime that President Donald Trump vowed would bring jobs and factories 'roaring back,' a Pennsylvania manufacturing hub is full of skepticism. Trump once told supporters here in the Lehigh Valley that they know 'better than almost any place in this country' how global trade has 'outsourced your industries' and 'wiped out your steel mills.' Now, even in one of the communities the president suggested would benefit most from his tariffs, his economic overhaul is disrupting lives – and testing some voters' patience in an election-deciding swing state. New hires at a local truck-making plant had just started on the shop floor last month when their company announced an abrupt change: Layoffs that could hit more than 10 percent of the workforce and that the company blamed on tariffs and other economic uncertainty. Even Trump's fans sometimes grimace at his plans to remake the world economy, worried about higher costs in a politically competitive area still scattered with lawn signs that read, 'TRUMP LOW PRICES KAMALA HIGH PRICES.' Almost two-thirds of Americans disapprove of Trump's handling of tariffs, and a lasting backlash could be especially consequential for Republicans in areas such as the Lehigh Valley, a perennial Rust Belt battleground where Trump's campaign pitch resonated with many voters. Trump's tariffs have put pressure on some of the GOP's most vulnerable incumbents in Congress – including the local congressman, freshman Ryan Mackenzie – as they try to defend Trump's agenda while also acknowledging their constituents' concerns. Officials here are doubtful that any tariffs, no matter how drastic, can re-create the economy of the past, when one steel company's facilities in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, alone employed 30,000 people. Manufacturing is still the biggest industry in the Lehigh Valley, with investment booming in recent years. At the same time, leaders are proud that they managed to diversify their economy after Bethlehem Steel collapsed decades ago. Brian Higgins, a longtime Republican commissioner in Lower Macungie Township, just north of the truck plant, said it's hard to imagine manufacturing rebounding to where it was decades ago. 'I don't think anybody thinks that you could bring the Lehigh Valley back to what it was,' Higgins said. 'Could we bring some manufacturing back there? Probably, but not to the extent that people believe.' 'I just think it's gonna cost more money, and then it's going to hurt us with retaliatory tariffs,' said Higgins, a self-described 'Reagan Republican' who could not bring himself to vote for Trump. Trump argues that levying tariffs on imports will give him leverage for trade deals and ultimately compel companies to ramp up production in the United States. Critics say the strategy will raise costs for consumers and destabilize the economy while leaving businesses too uncertain about the future to make plans. 'The Trump administration's policies are delivering much-needed economic relief for everyday Americans while laying the groundwork for a long-term restoration of American Greatness,' White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement, noting that inflation cooled in March and that gross private domestic investment has increased by 22 percent in the first quarter of 2025. Employers added 177,000 jobs last month, a strong showing despite the upheaval from Trump's tariffs announced April 2. In interviews, Lehigh Valley voters who had heard about the Mack layoffs often brushed them off as routine – the company has downsized before – or said they weren't sure they believed the firm's explanation. But many, including Trump voters, also said they are bracing for economic pain in the valley, which spans two counties: Lehigh, which Democrat Kamala Harris won by less than three points in the fall, and Northampton, a bellwether that frequently backs the winners of presidential elections and went narrowly for Trump. Adrienne Rinehimer, 51, said she's building a house and might push back her timeline if prices get too high. Retiree Rick Janko was mostly supportive of the president's agenda but rolled his eyes at claims that tariffs will bring manufacturing back. Like Rinehimer, he cast his ballot for Trump last year. 'How much are you going to pay for something?' Janko asked. 'Let's be honest, anything bought in America is always more expensive.' Workers divided over tariffs Workers at Mack Trucks – where the terms of the layoffs are still under discussion – are split, said union official Dan Hand, who just celebrated his 27th anniversary there. United Auto Workers leadership endorsed Democrat Kamala Harris in the fall, but many union members support Trump. Mack employees approached by The Washington Post mostly declined to talk, sometimes saying they didn't want to get in trouble. But Hand, the alternate shop chair for the Mack unit of UAW Local 677, said he knows some of his colleagues were taken aback at Trump's plans. 'There are a few people that think they made a mistake the way that they voted,' Hand said. He declined to discuss his vote, saying only that he is a registered Republican. Other workers at Mack are staunchly behind Trump and unmoved by the layoffs – more worried, they said, about the years-long offshoring of jobs to foreign countries. Mack's parent company, the Volvo Group, announced last year that it would build a new truck plant in Mexico, where average salaries are much lower than the roughly $33 an hour its Pennsylvania production employees can earn. Johnathan Watkins, 47, who performs electrical testing at Mack, said 'ups' and 'downs' are to be expected in his industry and noted that he was laid off in 2020 and then brought back. The stock market is 'cyclical' too, he said, brushing off the wild fluctuations the tariffs have triggered. 'I think that tariffs are needed to equalize the playing field,' said Watkins, an independent who voted third-party in 2016 but backed Trump in 2020 and 2024, impressed with his first term. 'Do I think everything's going to come back? No,' Watkins said, referring to manufacturing jobs. 'Do I think anything coming back to employ American workers is a good thing? Absolutely.' Sitting next to Watkins at the union hall, Hand said it wouldn't be easy. 'It's not going to be something that can just happen in a year or two,' he said. Hand had some thoughts for Trump. 'If you're going to use the tariffs, you need to use them the right way and not keep on backpedaling,' he said, alluding to the president's recent shifts. 'Tariffs most likely work better if they're targeted rather than being blanketed.' Don Cunningham, president of the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp., said the tariffs are 'all everybody talks about' in his circles right now. Many businesses are still trying to figure out what the shifting tariffs mean for them: 'Nobody's walked away, but everybody's kind of just tapping the brakes a little bit,' he said. Tariffs put Republican congressman in a vise Democrats are already using Trump's tariffs against Republicans, telling voters that he has broken his promise to bring down costs and gearing up to press GOP lawmakers on the issue in the 2026 midterms. The Mack plant sits in a battleground district that is home to one of Democrats' top targets: freshman Mackenzie, who once joined the truck factory workers on the picket line. Mackenzie has defended the tariffs, saying the president is taking steps to address decades of 'unfair trade practices.' In a statement, the congressman said he was 'disappointed' by Mack Trucks' decision to lay off workers 'after several quarters of weakening growth' and 'on the heels of last year's decision to build new plants in Mexico.' He met with union officials shortly after the layoffs were announced – and made no mention of tariffs in a subsequent social media post. 'I share their concerns regarding the outsourcing of good-paying jobs,' he wrote. Democrats – and some Trump-critical Republicans – have begun to protest every Monday outside Mackenzie's office in Allentown, lining the street for an hour at noon and drawing a steady stream of honks from passing cars. One day in late April, their signs were mostly focused on government programs such as Medicaid and Social Security. But some Democrats predicted that Trump's handling of the economy could put Mackenzie in his toughest spot yet. 'Right now, the single best thing he can do is fight Donald Trump and fight him on his tariffs,' state Rep. Pete Schweyer (D) said as he wandered down the line of protesters. Shopping in nearby Macungie, retiree Margaret O'Brian worried about an economic downturn and said she was already struggling to afford food for her cats. She didn't make it out to vote in the fall but would have cast her ballot for Trump; now, she and some of her Trump-voting friends aren't thrilled with the results. 'It's not working right now, let's put it that way,' she said of the tariffs. 'I thought it was going to be real good,' she added.
