In the News
Lawmakers from both sides of the Capitol and both sides of the aisle are pushing to require the Environmental Protection Agency to promote environmentally friendly water infrastructure.
The Water Infrastructure Flexibility Act, introduced in both the House and Senate, would require the EPA to conduct outreach and training on green infrastructure through its regional offices. It also would establish a new office in the EPA to assist cities and other local governments with technical issues in complying with the Clean Water Act.
With high school graduation season approaching, the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce last week passed the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act with unanimous support from Democrats and Republicans. The legislation, of which Republican Rep. Lloyd Smucker is an original co-sponsor, aims to help young people develop the skills and knowledge they need to compete for good-paying jobs.
It would be very easy to dismiss the modern-day KKK as a bunch of sheet-wearing miscreants who pump up their self-esteem by calling themselves "knights" and pretending they belong to something called the "True Invisible Empire."
Such flowery terms. Such delusions of grandeur. Such ingrained foolishness.
It also would be easy to make fun of their silly, pointed hats and the costumes that are meant to make them intimidating but only serve to mark them as cowards, unwilling to show their faces.
Lloyd Smucker wants answers. He's not alone. The freshman congressman addressed the Comey firing during the Rotary Club's question-and-answer session.
"It's certainly incumbent on Congress to be sure that the American public know what is happening in instances like this and that we uncover everything that can be uncovered," Smucker told about 150 people at the meeting.
United CEO Oscar Munoz was scolded during a congressional hearing for neglecting to immediately apologize to the passenger who was forcibly removed from a flight in an incident that ignited public backlash.
"I was appalled at your comments at first," Congressman Lloyd Smucker, R-Pa., told Munoz during the Tuesday hearing.
In 2010, supporters of "Obamacare" said health care costs would decrease. They said, "If you like your plan, you can keep it. If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor."
Instead, Pennsylvanians face skyrocketing premiums and unaffordable deductibles. They also have been forced from their plans and have had to find new doctors.
Four weeks into his new job, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker is brimming with excitement.
The freshman congressman is elated with the direction the Republican-led House is going to reform tax, regulatory and health care policies.
He is delighted by what he sees as a united GOP front and an incoming class devoted to working together in a bipartisan way.
A week and a half into his first term, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker is feeling pretty good about the energy he's seeing around Washington.
The Lancaster County Republican, who represents Reading and part of Berks County, said he imagines the flurry of activity since he was sworn in Jan. 3 is just a start.
THE ISSUE
Republican U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker of West Lampeter Township was sworn into office Tuesday as a member of the 115th Congress. He is just the fourth person in the last half-century to represent the 16th Congressional District, which covers most of Lancaster County, as well as parts of Chester and Berks counties. He succeeds Congressman Joe Pitts. Smucker spent eight years in Harrisburg as a state senator.
The 115th Congress got off to an inauspicious start, with its flap over the Office of Congressional Ethics.
U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker saw a lot to be excited about as he got ready for his first day in Congress.
He had a busy day ahead as he settled into his new office Tuesday morning. He planned to make a brief appearance at a reception for his friends and family, then head to the Capitol to be sworn in and begin casting his first votes.