In The News
A search for 'common ground': 'Fiscal cliff' negotiations begin
(CNN) -- Ahead of Friday's first bipartisan fiscal cliff meeting at the White House, a group of moderate House Democrats is sending a message to both parties saying everyone needs to give some ground to find a bipartisan agreement. Members of the New Democrat Coalition, a group of centrists that hopes to play a role in the deal-making, sent a letter to President Barack Obama, House Speaker John Boehner and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on Thursday stating, "We cannot have a full debate that allows us to address the multitude of issues facing our country if either side takes...
New Dems call for fiscal cliff action
More than a dozen members of the New Democrat Coalition said Thursday that they’re ready and eager to help forge a bipartisan deal to avert the fiscal cliff — and want President Barack Obama and congressional leaders to get to work. “We think time is of the essence, we think the time to do this is now,” Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.), the newly-elected chairman of the group, which describes itself as liberal on social issues and moderate on fiscal matters. “Sitting around for another 24 months in endless talks and negotiations…is notacceptable. Inaction is just not an option.” With at least...
Pennsylvania's Toomey and Schwartz have key roles in national budget debate
WASHINGTON - In the final days of the presidential campaign, you saw them everywhere. Sen. Pat Toomey stood on stage with Mitt Romney at a massive Bucks County rally last Sunday. U.S. Rep. Allyson Y. Schwartz, a Democrat from Montgomery County, zipped across the region for news conferences to combat the Republicans' late Keystone State offensive. Toomey and Schwartz were among Romney's and President Obama's most prominent surrogates in Pennsylvania, but their positions as leading advocates didn't end with the election. Each will remain in the spotlight as Washington...
Rep. Allyson Schwartz leads Affordable Care Act discussion
With President Barack Obama’s re-election, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will likely stay in place for another four years, despite roaring opposition from Republicans. On Friday, Penn’s Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics hosted a health policy seminar with Democratic Rep. Allyson Schwartz of Pennsylvania’s 13th district to discuss the future of health care with the PPACA in place. Approximately 100 students and professionals, including LDI Executive Director Daniel Polsky, gathered at Huntsman Hall to hear the congresswoman speak. Schwartz, who just won...
Groups rate legislators on federal employee issues
Want to know where your members of Congress stand on federal employee and retiree issues? Federally Employed Women (FEW) and the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE) make it easy with their scorecards rating how members of Congress voted on bills important to the organizations. “The vast majority of scores were either 30% or 90% or 100% broken down by party and very similar to last year’s scores,” Janet Kopenhaver, FEW’s Washington Representative, said in a statement released with its scorecard. Kopenhaver didn’t say which party ranked where. She didn’t...
Rep. Schwartz visits Abington to discuss student debt crisis
U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz visited Penn State Abington, highlighting the University for its policies that clarify loan options for incoming students and their families. Her press conference at Abington was sparked by a new report, which concluded that graduates from Pennsylvania colleges have the second highest average debt in the nation. Schwartz’s concern about student debt compelled her to introduce the Know Before You Owe Act in August, which requires schools to counsel students on available financial aid options and requires private lenders to adopt commonsense steps to protect...
The Hill's 25 Women to Watch
On her way to Washington, Rep. Allyson Schwartz (Pa.) was denied a primary endorsement from the Democratic Party. What a difference eight years can make. Schwartz, who’s seeking a fifth term, is now considered a rising star among the party faithful. She’s grabbed a senior position on the influential Budget Committee, is frequently tapped as a dependable public voice for the Democrats and is almost always included on the shortlist of future party leaders. The 64-year-old attributes that rapid ascension, at least in part, to lessons learned from that 2004 primary when the Democrats...
Construction set to begin on new Port Richmond recreation trail
U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz was on hand for ground-breaking ceremony in northeast Philadelphia yesterday. The 1.5-mile L-Shaped section along the Delaware River in northeast Philadelphia will serve as a new recreation outlet for cyclists, runners and pedestrians, and will connect the local community to the river. Schwartz has been a leader in support of the revitalization of the North Delaware Riverfront, including having successfully secured over $40 million in federal investment to support efforts to improve our region’s trails and surrounding areas, with a focus on support for the North...
Lawmakers honored at awards dinner in D.C.
U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz was one of 38 members of the U.S. House of Representatives to receive an award from an organization that stresses solutions to budget deficits and rising entitlement program costs. The Concord Coalition recently honored 22 Democrats and 16 Republicans at a dinner in Washington, D.C., to celebrate its 20th anniversary. The lawmakers received the Paul E. Tsongas Economic Patriot Award, named in memory of the former Massachusetts senator and presidential candidate. In March, the House rejected by a vote of 382-38 a plan put forth by Republican Rep. Steve...
Election will determine fiscal cliff solution, say lawmakers
Though Democrats and Republicans remain far apart on how to solve the fiscal cliff, lawmakers from both parties said Tuesday the results of the fall elections will determine the direction the solution takes. Democratic Rep. Allyson Schwartz of Pennsylvania joined Republican Rep. Peter Roskam of Illinois for a debate at the Newseum about the fiscal cliff, a combination of automatic spending cuts and the expiration of Bush-era tax cuts and some tax breaks for businesses that could happen at the end of the year unless Congress acts. The two differed sharply on how the government should...