Editor’s note: As it does every year, The Morning Call asked the Lehigh Valley’s top elected leaders to look back at 2025 and look ahead at 2026. Responses are running this first week of 2026 from U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, the newly elected executives of Lehigh and Northampton counties, and the mayors of Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton.
When I joined Congress at the start of this year, I knew that there was one priority for the people of the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos that rose far above the rest — addressing the cost of living. That’s why I have made this the central focus of my time in Congress.
Over the last several years, inflation has taken its toll on families, seniors, workers, and everyone in our community. Prices for food, fuel, health care and housing all surged while wages fell behind. Grocery lists were stripped down to the bare essentials, drivers filled their tanks with only one or two gallons at a time and home ownership for millions became a distant dream.
I know that we can do better, and I’ve dedicated my time in Congress to delivering the relief that the people of the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos deserve, starting with the first legislation that I introduced as your representative — the Working Families Tax Package.
As a husband and a father to a 1-year-old and a newborn, I understand the financial hurdles facing so many working parents. That’s why this package includes a series of bills focused on delivering real relief for working families, including expanded access to paid family and medical leave, a doubling of the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit, an even larger increase to the Child Tax Credit, and an expansion of the adoption tax credit alongside a new IVF tax credit.
Since introducing this legislation, I have worked to ensure that these priorities are incorporated into larger packages that come before the House. When Congress passed the Working Families Tax Cuts over the summer, I successfully fought to include a permanent increase of the Child Tax Credit to $2,200 (it was set to fall back to $1,000) while indexing it to inflation so that it always retains its value. We also secured an expansion of the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit and the Employee-Sponsored Child Care tax credit — creating incentives for employers to offer child care. The package even included new ideas like the creation of savings accounts for newborns, which will automatically be funded with over $1,000 from the federal government and private donors like the Dell family.
My work hasn’t stopped with supporting families, either. Everyone in our community needs and deserves relief after years of price hikes. That’s why the Working Families Tax Cuts deliver real savings for every taxpayer.
Effective for 2025 earnings, seniors will be able to take advantage of a new, $6,000 bonus deduction per individual (phases out at incomes beyond $75,000 or $150,000 for couples), effectively eliminating taxes on Social Security for 88% of seniors. Small businesses and manufacturers, which had previously faced the prospect of the largest tax increase in American history, are instead getting new tax relief that encourages investment. Tipped and overtime workers will be able to claim new deductions on tens of thousands of dollars in income. And every American will be able to claim an additional $750 on their standard deduction.
Beyond direct relief, we’ve also worked to tackle other issues that impact the cost of living.
Housing costs in Allentown and Bethlehem rose over 40% from 2019-2024 — creating huge burdens for many renters and homebuyers. That’s why we delivered what experts are calling “the most significant investment in affordable housing in decades.” By expanding the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, we will create over 1 million new affordable housing units for American families.
Under the previous administration, gas prices in our area had risen to over $5 per gallon at their peak. That’s why we took action to roll back the failed policies and red tape that had been established by the previous administration, instead embracing an all-of-the-above energy policy. As a result, gas prices in our region are down to nearly $3 per gallon.
On health care, I have worked with members on both sides of the aisle to deliver immediate relief on insurance costs alongside long-term reforms. Our bipartisan plans include commonsense provisions that crack down on corporate insurance fraud, cut out middlemen and establish new rules for hospital billing transparency.
More work remains in order to build the economy that the people of the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos deserve. Delivering relief is step one, and I’m proud of the thousands of dollars in savings that people in our community will see in the upcoming tax season, but we can’t stop here. Local workers need strong and consistent wage growth, young people need good economic opportunities, families deserve high-quality housing that fits their budget and every Pennsylvanian deserves cheap and abundant energy.
As we enter the new year, I remain focused on delivering on these priorities so that we can continue to make progress for the people of the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos.
This is a contributed opinion column. Ryan Mackenzie is the U.S. representative for the Lehigh Valley-based 7th Congressional District. The views expressed in this piece are those of its individual author and should not be interpreted as reflecting the views of this publication. For more details on commentaries, read our guide to guest opinions at themorningcall.com/opinions.