Houlahan, Emmons face off in 6th District race
The race for the 6th Congressional District features a matchup between a Democratic incumbent and Republican challenger.
The district includes all of Chester County and many communities in s outhwest er n Berks County.
House representatives serve a two-year term and receive an annual salary of $174,000.
We asked the candidates to respond to this question:
The impact of the coronavirus pandemic has been widespread and severe, affecting everything from the economy to health care to education. As the nation fights to recover from this global health crisis, what specific steps do you feel need to be taken to aid that recovery?
Democratic incumbent Chrissy Houlahan, 53, Chester County.
Background: Incumbent, who previously served as an the Air Force officer, was an engineer, had been involved with Teach For America a nd served as an executive for a nonprofit literacy organization.
Website: chrissyhoulahanforcongress.com
Answer: A failure in leadership has gotten us to where we are today: 200,000 lives lost and over 6.5 million COVID-19 cases, small businesses forced to close their doors while others hang on by a thread, families and children struggling to adjust to remote education and more.
In order to recover from this crisis, the following steps are necessary but not exhaustive:
1. Implement a national testing and vaccination deployment strategy. It’s unconscionable that we’re six months into this pandemic and have yet to see a plan to ensure all Americans who want to get a test can do so. As we prepare for distribution of the vaccine, we need a plan that ensures the scientific integrity of the FDA review process, addresses questions Americans may have and achieves equitable and timely distribution to people, especially high-risk populations.
2. Provide relief for small businesses that are still struggling. For example, I’ve introduced the bipartisan Paycheck Protection Small Business Forgiveness Act to forgive PPP loans of less than $150,000, which accounts for about 86% of PPP borrowers.
3. Provide additional funds and f lexibility for states and local governments to help replace lost revenue and make them whole for money spent on COVID-19 response.
Republican John Emmons, 62, Chester County.
Background: Started his career as a chemical engineer for Armstrong World Industries in Lancaster, then spent 16 years as director of operations for Mannington Mills in New Jersey before joining Interface Performance Materials/Lydall in Lancaster as director of operations.
Website: emmonsforcongress.com
Answer: We know how to create jobs and get the economy back on track, because we’ve done it before: reduce taxes on small businesses and families, cut government red tape and bring manufacturing back to the United States.
I have called for reducing our dependence on Chinese manufacturing and supply chains, and I support reduced taxes on businesses that create jobs or relocate back to the United States. Doing so will enhance our national and personal security and create good jobs here at home.
For small businesses, the one-size-fits-all, top-down approach to the lockdown at the state level has been devastating. We need to let local governments and business owners make decisions on how best to reopen their businesses safely. Small businesses are being devastated by arbitrary government pronouncements and restrictions that hurt their ability to get back on their feet and return to profitability.