Why hasn’t Congress moved with speed on CHIP?

I was glad to read that Gov. Tom Wolf signed the bill guaranteeing state funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program. This program is of tremendous importance to more than 180,000 children and their families in Pennsylvania. It affords these families peace of mind that they will have medical coverage for their children.

Our Congress has once again failed to do its job and approve federal funding for CHIP. The lack of funding is now going on three months past the deadline to approve the funding. My question is why? Why is it that these so-called leaders can meet behind closed doors to put together a tax reform program that will benefit the corporations and the wealthiest Americans in record time, but cannot act in a timely manner on funding a program that thousands of middle-class families depend on for their medical coverage?

I would strongly urge all Pennsylvania residents to call, write or email their representatives to tell them to get off their duffs, quit worrying about satisfying the corporations and the wealthiest Americans and do what they should have done months ago and fund the CHIP program now! JOEL VANUCCI

Beechview tax cut after all.

Mr. Hannon then goes on to complain that the bottom 50 percent of Americans pay 2.83 percent of federal income tax.

Again, the facts that he chooses to ignore tell the real story, which is that this group holds only about 1 percent of the nation’s wealth. They’re actually paying nearly three times their share.

Mr. Hannon is correct about one thing: Our federal tax system is not fair, but that unfairness is deliberate — it is designed to benefit the wealthy at the expense of the rest of us, and it works like a charm.

Unfortunately, this growing inequality is destroying our economy by crippling the spending power of the majority of our population. Today, the 25 richest Americans hold more wealth than the poorest 178 million of us.

The recent GOP “reform” plan will only make this situation worse. R.J. HUFNAGEL Ross

On Twitter recently, state Rep. Rick Saccone, who is running for Congress, said, “I ... will always put the people and interests of the 18th District above any partisan politics.” Based on his statements and voting record, this is a blatant lie.

Mr. Saccone cannot proudly state that he “was Trump before Trump was Trump,” and then a month later claim to put the people of the 18th District above partisan politics.

It seems that Mr. Saccone wants to have it both ways — he wants to have the support of Trump voters and the support of independents and moderates in the 18th District.

I’m sorry to inform Mr. Saccone that Donald Trump has made that impossible.

According to Mr. Trump’s own words, you are either with Mr. Trump or you are against him.

And if Mr. Saccone is proudly on Donald Trump’s side, then he cannot put the moderates and Democrats of the 18th District above partisan politics.

Mr. Trump won’t allow him to.

Rick Saccone has chosen his captain, and he will go down with his ship. LYNNE HUGHES

Mt. Lebanon