County
Lehigh
Occupation
Energy Engineer
Education
Rutgers University, BA in Psychology; Penn State University, MA in Community Psychology and Social Change; Lehigh University, MEng in Energy Systems Engineering
Qualifications
Executive Director of SkillsUSA Council; Executive Director of the Children's Coalition of the Lehigh Valley; Regional Manager and Statewide Latino Affairs Advisor to U.S. Senator Bob Casey; Energy Systems Engineer at PPL Electric Utilities
(1) The affordability of everyday essentials like housing, healthcare, groceries, utilities, and childcare. Congress should start by undoing the dangerous cuts to Medicaid and SNAP from last summer’s Republican budget bill. Congress must also put a stop to Trump’s illegal tariffs that are driving up the cost of everyday essentials and restore tax credits that make life more affordable, like the residential solar tax credits and the child tax credit. (2) Trump's militarized ICE. As an immigrant myself, I believe there must be a legal pathway to citizenship. We need more judges and more processing pathways to make that possible. We also need to require warrants and body cameras for ICE agents as bottom-line accountability measures.
Congress has a constitutional duty to serve as a check on the power of the executive branch. That responsibility isn’t conditional based on who holds the White House. It means conducting rigorous oversight, holding hearings, and demanding transparency to ensure taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly and laws are faithfully executed. I believe oversight should be serious, fact-based, and focused on protecting the public. When done right, it restores trust, strengthens our democracy, and ensures government works for us all, not just special interests.
Congress can’t sit on the sidelines when it comes to foreign policy. We have a responsibility to weigh in on decisions about war and peace, provide real oversight of military actions, and make sure diplomacy is front and center. That means working with our allies, supporting humanitarian efforts, and asking tough questions when considering deploying troops. I believe we need a diplomacy-focused foreign policy grounded in values of standing up for democracy and human rights. We also need to be clear-eyed about avoiding endless wars. But ultimately, Congress' top focus must be making life more affordable here at home.
As we work toward universal healthcare, we must maintain the foundation set by the Affordable Care Act to ensure everyone has access to quality, affordable healthcare. Instead, Washington is raising healthcare costs for millions of Americans by failing to renew the ACA subsidies and trying to kick millions of eligible Americans off of Medicaid. This is unacceptable, and it will be a top priority of mine to restore the ACA subsidies when I get to Congress. We also must expand prescription drug negotiations to lower rates for all Americans on some of the most expensive medications. Lastly, we must have federal oversight of pharmacy benefit managers to increase transparency and lower drug costs.
County
Northampton
Occupation
President of the Pennsylvania Professional Firefighters Association.
Education
Drury High School (MA)
Qualifications
I'm a former 20 year Bethlehem Firefighter, current President of the Pennsylvania Professional Firefighters Association, which represents the union fire service members in Pennsylvania, and current varsity baseball coach at Nazareth Area High School. I am also a father of four.
I think housing, healthcare, childcare, education and wages - all under the umbrella of affordability. Here in the Lehigh Valley we have the second highest occupancy rate and it's almost impossible to find affordable housing, not to mention that the average age of a first time homebuyer is over 40 years old! People's healthcare premiums are skyrocketing and those without are scared to go to the doctor because of the costs. People are paying more per month on childcare than their mortgage. My son came out of a Penn State satellite campus with over $100k in debt, which is more than my first house cost. Please go to my website https://brooksforcongress.com/issues/ to read my broad based plan to deal with each of these issues.
Congress has completely abdicated its oversight responsibility during this president's term. I will push my colleagues in the Democratic caucus to reassert our authority to try to rein in the lawlessness coming from the White House. From war powers to congressionally mandated spending to investigating the corrupt behavior of public officials, Congress needs to hold officials accountable and use its Article I power of the purse. For example, I would support the passage of the recent War Powers Resolution and would vote for legislation to put an end to rescissions coming out of OMB. The president is not an elected king and all three branches are coequal - it's time the legislative branch started to act like it again.
The Democratic Party has always been at its strongest when it was the country's anti-war party. I do not support the warmongering perpetrated by Trump. It's unconscionable that we're spending hundreds of billions of dollars on a war in the Iran while people here at home struggle to pay for healthcare and housing. I support our allies and especially will always stand by Ukraine in their fight against the Russians, but our party needs to get back to advocating restraint and against forever wars.
We need to start with repealing the more than $1 trillion in Medicaid/Medicare cuts that were passed as part of the Big Beautiful Bill. I believe these cuts and the general healthcare system in this country have never been in a more dire state, and we need now more than ever some type of universal healthcare. I personally support a Medicare for All type plan, but because the situation is so dire I would collaborate with anyone down in D.C. to help drive down costs and get more people the coverage they need. I have personally chosen between paying a hospital bill for a loved one and paying our mortgage. In the richest country on earth, no one should have to make that choice.
County
Northampton
Occupation
Northampton County Executive (2018-2025)
Education
Wilkes University B.A. History & International Studies. Minor: Eastern European and Russian Studies. The Law School at Duquesne University, J.D.
Qualifications
Northampton County Executive (2018-2025), Northampton County Council Member (2006-2015)
The Fight to save our Democracy and preserve our Economy for the Middle Class and Working Families. Trump and Ryan Mackenzie are waging war against our Democracy. ICE conducting its business without even a nod to Due Process of Law is just one of many examples. With respect to life becoming unaffordable for so many living in PA-07, Trump and Mackenzie’s unconstitutional, indiscriminate imposition of tariffs is one of the primary culprits. To that end, once elected, if substantial reforms could not be achieved with respect to ICE, I would move to abolish it. We would need to completely rebuild an agency to conduct interior enforcement. With respect to the economy, I would act forcefully to reclaim Congressional authority over tariffs.
Ryan Mackenzie and the Republican lead Congress have become a rubber stamp validating Trump’s worst authoritarian impulses and his discredited economic policies. Congress needs to reclaim the mantle of a co-equal branch of government and rein in this runaway Administration. I have experience taking on Trump, ICE and MAGA and beating them. I will take the knowledge gained from waging and winning those fights and work to ensure that oversight is throughly and forcefully conducted.
The role the Constitution of the United States of America and the duly enacted laws provide Congress. Congress should never blindly authorize military action, or write blank checks for military adventurism, unless a President has made clear not just to the Congress, but to the American people what our national interest is, the objectives for achieving those interests, that we have the means to see it through to the end, and that there is an end game. Our military is the greatest fighting force ever known. Our young men and women deserve clear objectives, so that we might bring them home safely, as soon as possible.
We need to immediately restore the Affordable Care Act tax credits that Ryan Mackenzie and Trump allowed to expire. Too many people living in PA-07 now need to choose between paying for their healthcare or other bills. And, too many other residents have completely lost their healthcare as it’s become completely unaffordable. We need to immediately restore the $ one trillion dollars in Medicaid cuts that were made, and we must protect Medicare from cuts at all costs. Lowering the cost of prescription drugs must be a top priority in the next Congress. Americans still pay far too much for life saving medicines. We must also start down the path of truly realizing the promise of Universal Healthcare.
County
Lehigh
Occupation
Attorney
Education
J.D., Duke University, 2007; M.A., Duke University, 2007; B.A., Vanderbilt University, 2003
Qualifications
17 years service in the United States Marine Corps, currently serving as a Lt. Col. in the Marine Corps Reserve; 10 years as a federal prosecutor with the Department of Justice, including service in the DOJ's Public Integrity Section prosecuting corrupt politicians and public officials.
Families in the Lehigh Valley are getting squeezed on healthcare, housing, child care and energy costs. Washington is making it worse by threatening Medicare and Social Security while cutting taxes for billionaires. And Trump’s chaotic tariffs and illegal war are driving up prices even further. In Congress I will fight to lower costs, protect the benefits people have earned and hold accountable the corrupt interests rigging the economy at our expense.
I resigned from the DOJ rather than let Trump weaponize it against his enemies. That experience made very clear why oversight matters. Congress has a constitutional duty to check executive power. I will use every tool available, including subpoenas, hearings and the appropriations process. No president gets a free pass. I took an oath to the Constitution and I intend to keep it.
Congress cannot be a spectator. The power to declare war, approve treaties and control funding belongs to the legislative branch. Not one person in the Oval Office. As a Marine, I understand the cost of conflict and the value of strong alliances. Congress needs to reassert its role, demand transparency and make sure our foreign policy reflects American values, not Trump’s personal financial interests.
We need to protect what is working and build on it. That means reversing last year’s cuts to Medicaid and ACA tax credits, letting Medicare negotiate drug prices, capping out-of-pocket costs, and expanding access to coverage and lowering costs overall through a public option. Healthcare is a human right, not a luxury. When people in Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe and Northampton counties cannot afford their prescriptions, that is a policy failure. I will fight any attempt to cut these programs and push for real, lasting reforms to lower health care costs.
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