Christina Houlahan

Our democracy needs to be more responsive to the people.

In order to make progress on countless issues where majorities of voters agree – supporting small businesses, common-sense gun safety, comprehensive immigration reform, climate change, and more – we need to make our democracy more accountable to voters. From excessive money in politics, to attacks on voting rights, to gerrymandering, we have a lot of work to do. 

In Congress, I am working to improve our democracy by:

Putting money in peoples’ pockets. Our offices in Chester and Berks help constituents cut through red tape and secure proper benefits. We are proud to have helped members of our community reclaim nearly $30 million in backlogged federal benefits by advocating on their behalf. This includes everything from veterans benefits to tax refunds and social security payments.

Holding more town halls – over 65! – than any other member of the PA delegation. It is critically important that I keep my work aligned with what is important to members of our community, which is why I am actively engaged with town halls and community events. I am proud that our high level of engagement led the nonpartisan Congressional Management Foundation to award me two Democracy Awards honoring service, transparency, and accountability.

Bringing government officials to our community to understand our issues. On several occasions, I have brought members of the Executive Branch home to Pennsylvania so that they can understand and solve problems in our community. Already, we have hosted the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Secretary of Labor, Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of the VA, Secretary of Education, and the Small Business Administrator.

We need to bring down inflation while building an economy that it delivers for everybody, not just the wealthy. 

As Chief Operating Officer of AND1 Basketball, I helped to employ thousands of workers in Southeast Pennsylvania and build a business that prioritized employee well being. We offered workers high wages and world-class benefits including robust healthcare, paid family leave, and paid medical leave. The results were a motivated workforce and benefits for our company, workers, and community. I then took that lesson and advocated for better business practices that focus not only on the quarterly bottom line, but also workers and our planet. 

Unfortunately, far too many families struggle to make ends meet and keep up with rising costs. We need to ensure that the American Dream is available to everyone who is willing to work for it. We must ensure that workers can find high-quality jobs, businesses can grow, and costs are affordable for Pennsylvania families. That’s why, in Congress, I proudly serve on the Small Business Committee, where I use my background in the private sector and expertise in supply chains to promote solutions that will lead to a more prosperous and equitable economy.

I am focused on making our economy work for working people by:

Leading the effort to beat back inflation. When inflation started going up, I was among the first in Congress to identify the problem and begin crafting solutions. I put my supply chain expertise to work and co-founded the New Democrat Inflation Working Group. I co-wrote the final report - which Forbes Magazine called “the best inflation fighting action plan to come out of Congress” - which made specific recommendations to increase the number of people in the workforce, further ease supply chain congestion, lower energy prices, and more. 

Passing legislation to lower costs. I helped pass the Inflation Reduction Act which will “increase American competitiveness, address our climate crisis, lower costs for families, and fight inflation” according to five, both Democrat and Republican, former U.S. Treasury Secretaries. It will reduce the costs of prescription drugs, health insurance, and utilities. I also helped lead the effort to pass the CHIPS & Science Act, which will bring home supply chains for critical minerals and computer chips — necessary for everything from defense systems to cell phones — which will lower costs, decrease dependence on China, and create jobs.

Helping small businesses stay open through the pandemic. When the pandemic hit, small businesses were devastated. So I played an active role in enacting the bipartisan Paycheck Protection Program to provide small businesses with loans to keep employees on payroll, and I led an effort to ensure those loans were forgiven for the smallest of small businesses who most needed the relief. Now, as a Member of the Small Business Committee, I continue to shine a light on small businesses and promote legislation to help Americans start and succeed in business. And we ran a highly successful jobs fair which helped companies find workers and workers find jobs.

Supporting unions and workers. The first step to improving our economy is to empower workers. That’s why I co-sponsored the Raise Wage Wage Act to responsibly increase our national minimum wage to $15 an hour. In addition, I led the effort to enact a historic twelve-week paid parental leave policy for federal workers, which I hope will be replicated for all Americans.

Promoting responsible spending. With inflation rising, we have to be all the more conscious of government spending. I am promoting legislation that spends taxpayer dollars responsibly and does not balloon our deficit.

Delivering infrastructure investments to PA. Infrastructure in America is nowhere near as good as it should be, which is why I was proud to push for the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This legislation delivers over $18 billion in investments to Pennsylvania which will create jobs and fix our roads, bridges, ports, airports, transit systems, and broadband, along while reducing our carbon footprint.

Every child in America deserves to be able to attend a good public school, and all Americans should have affordable opportunities to continue to learn and pursue their dreams.

As a mother and former high school chemistry teacher, quality education is among the most important values for me and my family. My father, a Polish refugee during World War II, used his education to help secure a better life for himself and our family. He and my mother inspired me to achieve my dreams by obtaining an ROTC scholarship to study engineering at Stanford, then to earn my Master’s degree. 

Experiencing the power of what education has done for me and my family, I was inspired to become a teacher. In the classroom, I saw firsthand how poor reading comprehension was a barrier to ongoing learning for too many students, so after leaving the classroom, I became the President and COO of a Pennsylvania-based non-profit focused on improving childhood literacy. 

From what I have learned as a student, parent, teacher, and advocate, I know what it takes to ensure we offer world-class education to every American. Unfortunately, people on both sides of the aisle are politicizing our kids, putting schools at the center of culture wars, and turning school board meetings into hyperpartisan shouting matches. There’s work to be done, but we need leaders to take problems seriously. That’s why I am working on important and tangible issues, like making investments in school infrastructure and books, increasing teacher pay, and making higher education more affordable.

In Congress, I am using my experiences to improve education in America by:

Investing in public schools. Supporting public schools must be at the core of our education policy. That’s why in early 2019, I cosponsored the Rebuild America’s Schools Act, which would invest more than $100 billion in long-term improvements to our public schools. 

Keeping kids in the classroom. The pandemic hit kids and teachers hard, and unfortunately, many children were deprived of top-caliber learning for over a year. We need to do everything possible to keep classrooms open, which is why I proudly helped to send $5 billion in relief to Pennsylvania K-12 public schools aimed at helping schools stay open and address learning loss.

Supporting teachers. We must recruit and retain world-class teachers, which is why I am a strong proponent of increasing teacher compensation. I also helped lead the Teacher Diversity and Retention Act to grow the pipeline of diverse teacher talent and to ensure that teachers working in lower-performing schools have the tools and training they need to succeed. 

Improving literacy programs. Students can only move up the education ladder once they learn to read. I introduced the bipartisan READ Act to support states and school districts that invest in evidence-based literacy education for students with learning disabilities.

Ensuring that higher education, apprenticeships, and vocational school are attainable and affordable. Continued learning – whether it be at a University, Community College, vocational school, or apprenticeship – should be an option for all Americans. Unfortunately, costs are prohibitive for far too many. That’s why I support bills to defer or forgive student debt for young entrepreneurs and medical professionals, as well as the bipartisan Opportunities for Heroes Act to provide $25,000 in student loan debt relief or education benefits to essential workers.  

Improving STEM education in America. As an engineer, I know how important it is to the future of our economy that we train future STEM leaders, so I started the Congressional Women in STEM Caucus to advocate for meaningful advancements. Among other things, I strongly support the INSPIRES Act to improve STEM and technical education programs in high schools, community colleges, and minority-serving institutions like Lincoln University in our community.

Climate change is an urgent and existential threat to public safety, our economy, and our national security. We need to act now.

As an engineer and Air Force veteran who helped to assess critical threats to our safety and security, I am acutely aware of the grave threat that climate change poses to our community, country, and planet. Already, we are living with an increase in extreme weather events – flooding, wildfires, hurricanes, and more – that are causing incredible harm. 

We need to take decisive and urgent action to stop climate change in its tracks and protect our environment. The data show that in order to save our planet, we need to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. That requires a coordinated and concerted global response, the aggressive deployment of existing technologies to limit carbon emissions, and developing new technologies that can expedite our response. 

In Congress, I am using my scientific background to push solutions that will fight climate change and protect our environment by:

Helping to pass the Inflation Reduction Act. Among other cost saving measures, this bill directs historic investments in domestic manufacturing of clean energy technology, research and development, and climate resilient infrastructure projects. All of this will help us transition to a cleaner economy and increase our energy independence.

Encouraging global cooperation to address climate change. America is only one piece of the puzzle. We need global cooperation to meet this global challenge. That’s why I strengthened the bipartisan Climate Action Now Act with an amendment that requires the U.S. to use diplomatic tools to help other countries meet their climate commitments.

Investing in research for the solutions of tomorrow. Existing technologies can only take us so far. We need to aggressively invest in research that will allow us to expedite our transition to a clean economy. That is why I support research into key areas like improving battery storage, more efficient solar cells, and making nuclear energy sufficiently safe and cost-effective.

Protecting public lands. Our community is home to many environmental treasures, which we have a responsibility to protect. I am proud to support the Great American Outdoors Act, as well as bills to help with abandoned mine reclamation in Pennsylvania to keep clean the “downstream” waters like the Schuylkill and Susquehanna Rivers that we all enjoy.

Gun violence is a public safety and a public health crisis that we must address.

This issue is devastating and personal to so many. Sadly, I have met with members of our community who have lost loved ones to gun violence. While as a veteran, I support the Second Amendment and responsible gun ownership, as a mother, it breaks my heart to see the consistency with which we lose members of our community to gun violence. As an engineer, the data screams at me: the prevalence of guns in this country causes unnecessary deaths. In 2019 alone, more than 1,500 gun deaths were reported in Pennsylvania. For the sake of our communities, and for the sake of generations to come, we have to do better. That’s why I am a strong supporter of urgently moving common-sense gun safety legislation through Congress.

In Congress, I am working to address the epidemic of gun violence in America by:

Passing the first gun safety legislation in 28 years. In the House, I helped pass the bipartisan Safer Communities Act. The bill will strengthen background checks for buyers under 21, fund the enforcement of red flag laws, and invest in community intervention and mental health services. This bill is a great start, and we must do more.

Pushing for universal background checks and limiting high-capacity magazines. We have to do a better job of keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous people. That is why I co-sponsored and voted for the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, as well as the Enhanced Background Checks Act, both of which passed the House but have yet to make it through the Senate. I have also cosponsored the Disarm Hate Act, which prevents people convicted of hate crimes from buying a gun.

Shining a spotlight on the issue. In my first year in Congress, I joined the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. That same year, I was honored to be joined at the State of the Union by a mother from our own community who tragically lost her teenage daughter to gun violence. The only way we will build the will to address gun violence is by discussing it.

Helping families who have been afflicted by gun violence. Unfortunately, far too much damage has already been inflicted by gun violence, and we need to support those who have been harmed. I co-sponsored the Resources for Victims of Gun Violence Act to aid families who have lost a loved one to gun violence.

We must ensure that every American has access to high-quality, affordable healthcare.

In spite of progress forged with the Affordable Care Act, healthcare in America is far from where it needs to be. No American should have to choose between having health insurance and paying rent. No family should be forced to choose between buying life-saving medication and buying groceries. And no family should go bankrupt because of an unexpected medical emergency. Unfortunately, too many Americans are forced into these wrenching choices. The COVID-19 pandemic further exposed flaws in our public health infrastructure, and it has shined a light on the inequity with which we deliver care. We have a lot of work to do to increase coverage while lowering costs and delivering better outcomes for patients.

In Congress, I am working to ensure that all Americans have access to affordable, world-class medical care by:

Protecting a woman’s right to choose. A woman’s health care decisions should be made between her, her doctor, and her faith – not politicians. With the Dobbs decision and the overturning of Roe, I am horrified by the notion that my daughters have fewer rights than I did at their age. The federal government needs to protect a woman’s right to control her own reproductive health. Full stop. I support the Women’s Health Protection Act, which codifies Roe, and will continue to oppose efforts to defund Planned Parenthood.

Lowering the cost of prescription drugs. I was proud to help enact the Inflation Reduction Act which lowers the cost of prescription drugs for seniors by allowing Medicare to negotiate prices with drug companies, caps out-of-pocket expenses, limits the cost of insulin to $35, and more.  Cost should never keep somebody from obtaining life-saving medication.  In addition, I am pushing for reforms to make improvements in price transparency and increase access to more affordable generic medications.

Expanding healthcare coverage. The Affordable Care Act was a great start to expanding quality coverage to all Americans, but we still have work to do. I helped pass legislation that reduced premiums for Pennsylvanians and I have worked to protect critical programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP. But we have to do more, which is why I support the Medicare-X Choice Act, which would allow all Americans to buy into a public health insurance plan. 

Ending surprise medical bills. I am proud to have been a leader in passing legislation into law that addresses surprise medical bills, finally taking patients out of frustrating financial arguments between providers and insurance companies.

Addressing mental health. We must treat mental healthcare like healthcare. That’s why I have led efforts to prevent suicide among our veteran population through the bipartisan IMPROVE Act and supported legislation to expand mental health care services for our students. And through bipartisan bills like the Opioid Workforce Act and the State Opioid Response Grant Act, I am working to expand the availability of quality substance abuse treatment in our community.

Beating back COVID-19. I worked to secure funds to distribute life-saving PPE, tests, and vaccines, and delivered to hospitals the resources needed to address surges in cases. 

Investing in healthcare innovation. In addition to expanding coverage, we need to invest in the technologies, treatments, and cures that will keep Americans healthy in the future. So I support legislation that would invest $10 billion in scientific research over the next ten years and foster partnerships between government and the private sector to accelerate progress towards a cure for cancer, treatments for rare diseases, and diagnostics and vaccines for emerging threats like COVID-19. Our community and the Southeast Pennsylvania region is home to cutting-edge health research – we should make the investments needed to deliver game-changing healthcare breakthroughs.

The most basic responsibility of government is to defend our national security.

As a third-generation military veteran, protecting our nation is a core tenet in my family. I personally served in the Air Force. Before me, my father was a pilot and intelligence officer in the Navy during the Cold War, rising to the rank of Captain. And my grandfather was a Captain in the Navy.  For three generations, we have stepped up to defend our country and ideals, and I proudly continue our tradition by addressing our national security as a Member of Congress.

At our best, the United States leads the international community as a force for good, advocating for global peace, cooperation, and human rights. With nearly 195,000 servicemembers and tens of thousands of diplomats, development experts, and civilian personnel deployed overseas, we have a responsibility to have their backs and put them in positions to succeed. As a Member of the House Armed Services Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee, I am acutely focused on defending against global threats and protecting our service members at home and abroad.

In Congress, I am working to ensure our national security by:

Supporting our allies in Ukraine. Through his illegal and dangerous invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin threatens the global order and economy. We, with the help of our allies, must do everything in our power to defend democracy in Ukraine. I visited President Zelensky two weeks before the invasion, and my father was born in Lviv, which at the time was Nazi-controlled Poland and is now a key Ukrainian city. In Congress, I helped to deliver much-needed humanitarian and military aid, and we must continue until our Ukrainian allies secure victory.

Ensuring a robust national defense. As the only Member of Congress from Pennsylvania on the House Armed Services Committee, I provide direct oversight over the National Defense Authorization Act to ensure that we robustly and effectively fund federal investments in our national defense.

Keeping our allies close and watchful eyes on our enemies. As a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, I believe we need strong global engagement. We need to work with our allies to address global threats from adversaries like China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. I have worked across the aisle to push back on Chinese and Russian aggression, strengthen NATO and other alliances, and promote human rights and economic empowerment for women and girls in developing countries.

Addressing cyber threats. In a 21st Century economy and information ecosystem, protecting our cyber security is paramount. We must ensure that we have telecommunications infrastructure that is resilient to cyber intrusions and critical supply chains that are not vulnerable to our adversaries. 

Mitigating climate change. As was outlined in recent reports from the Department of Defense, climate change is a critical national security threat. As an engineer, I am advancing solutions to increase climate-resilient infrastructure, aggressively deploy clean energy technology, and invest in the climate solutions of tomorrow.

Empowering young, talented people to serve. Our long-term national security depends on the next generation of leaders stepping up to serve. That’s why I am proud that we run one of the best academy nomination programs in the state, with more of our students getting appointments to military academies than most congressional districts. Moreover, I authored the Armed Forces Digital Advantage Act, which was enacted into law in 2019 and will help the Department of Defense recruit and retain talented professionals with cyber and tech backgrounds. I also introduced a bill to ensure the State Department could hire personnel with STEM backgrounds, so that our diplomacy can keep pace with cyber threats, digital trade, and other emerging challenges.

American society has a solemn responsibility to care for those who selflessly served and sacrificed for our safety and freedom.

Caring for our nation’s veterans is not abstract for me, it is something deeply personal to me and my family. I am proud to be a third-generation military veteran and part of a service-first family. I personally served in the Air Force. Before me, my father was a pilot and intelligence officer in the Navy during the Cold War, rising to the rank of Captain. And my grandfather was a Captain in the Navy. 

Simply, we need to honor our past commitments to our veterans and their families, as well as quickly solve new issues as they arise. Among other things, we can do better at delivering health insurance to veterans, caring for their mental health, and helping them find good jobs and transition to civilian life. As a member of the Armed Services Committee and founding member of both the Servicewomen and Women Veterans Congressional Caucus and the bipartisan For Country caucus, I am actively seeking solutions to help our nation’s vets.

In Congress, I am delivering for veterans by:

Saving the Coatesville VA from closure. Following the release of the VA’s Asset and Infrastructure Review Commission Report, which recommended closure of the Coatesville VA, I fought back. I hosted VA Secretary McDonough in Coatesville and am pleased that capital improvement work is proceeding at the facility.        

Improving veteran healthcare. First and foremost, we need to improve the VA and the systems with which veterans receive healthcare. Then, we have to address the unique health problems that veterans face.  I was proud to help get long-overdue bipartisan bills – Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act and the PACT Act – signed into law to ensure that service members who were exposed to Agent Orange and burn pits have access to VA health services and benefits.  

Improving mental health outlets. Unfortunately, too many veterans suffer from mental and emotional wounds caused by their service, and we have to do more to care for them. I am proud to have worked in a bipartisan manner to write and pass the IMPROVE Act, which directs grant funds to community health organizations dealing with mental health challenges. 

Helping veterans enter and stay in the workforce. Transitioning to civilian life can be challenging for veterans, so we have to do everything in our power to help veterans find and keep high quality jobs that utilize their unique talents. That’s why I am spearheading bipartisan efforts to provide veterans with training and advancement opportunities in areas like cybersecurity.