Citing Commitment to Lower Cost of Caregiving, Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy PAC Endorses Bob Brooks for Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District

WASHINGTON – Today, the Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy PAC (CFFE PAC) announced its endorsement of Pennsylvania labor leader and former Bethlehem firefighter Bob Brooks in his bid to represent Pennsylvania’s 7th congressional district, a key pickup opportunity for Democrats in what will be one of the country’s most closely watched races.

This endorsement reflects CFFE PAC's commitment to electing candidates who will make life more affordable by tackling the crippling cost of caregiving through investments in affordable child and elder care and paid family and medical leave. Electing a working-class champion to this seat is essential to building a Democratic House majority and passing policies to reduce the cost of caregiving.

“Bob Brooks knows what it means to work hard, care for family, and fight for a fair deal,” said Sondra Goldschein, Executive Director of the Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy PAC. “As a grandfather who cares for his two young granddaughters once a week, Brooks has seen firsthand how the high cost of child care strains working families. In Congress, he will fight to lower those costs and ensure working families come first, not billionaires and corporations.”

"I've worked a lot of jobs in my life,” said Bob Brooks. “Dishwasher, bartender, landscaper, Teamster, snowplow driver, and 20 years as a firefighter here in Bethlehem. Every one of them taught me the same thing: working people are doing everything right and still can't get ahead. I've coached sports in my community for over 20 years, and I've met plenty of families worrying about the same thing. The cost of caring for the people you love keeps climbing, and nobody in Washington seems to notice. That's why I'm proud to have the endorsement of the Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy PAC. In Congress, I'm going to fight to bring costs down, because our families should come before billionaires and corporations, every time."

Bob Brooks has consistently fought to make life safer and more affordable for working Pennsylvanians. During his 20 years as a Bethlehem firefighter, he saw firsthand how the high cost of health care, child care, and prescription drugs can leave working families struggling to make ends meet. Through his leadership in the labor movement, Brooks helped negotiate fairer contracts and advocated for better health care, mental health support, livable wages, and safer working conditions. A small-business owner, Brooks understands the challenges families face as costs continue to rise. He promises to prioritize lowering the cost of care by backing Medicaid For All, increasing access to affordable child care, and ensuring every Pennsylvanian can get the care they need without worrying about how they can afford it. His record shows that he knows how to bring people together, take on difficult fights, and deliver meaningful results.

In contrast, Brooks’ opponent, Republican Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, has repeatedly supported policies that raise costs and put access to care at risk. Mackenzie voted for the Republican tax law, which Pennsylvania fiscal analysts project will reduce Medicaid enrollment by as many as 310,000 people and leave hospitals with higher uncompensated care costs. Instead of protecting the health and financial security of the people he represents, Mackenzie backed an agenda that jeopardizes access to care for seniors and people with disabilities while delivering massive tax breaks to the wealthy. Pennsylvanians deserve a representative who will make care more affordable, not put it out of reach.

Across Pennsylvania, families are struggling to afford the care they need. A recent survey found that more than one in four Pennsylvania adults said they or someone in their household had difficulty accessing health care because of cost. Those challenges underscore the need for leaders like Bob Brooks, who will fight to lower care costs and help working families get ahead.

Separate from its electoral work, CFFE PAC’s sister organization, the Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy, launched Affordable Pennsylvania last year to hold elected officials in three Pennsylvania congressional districts, including PA-07, accountable after they promised to stand with working families and lower costs but instead cast vote after vote that made care and everyday necessities more expensive. Affordable Pennsylvania spent more than $2.4 million elevating the stories of local families to urge Rep. Mackenzie to reverse course and focus on making life more affordable.

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The Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy PAC works to elect candidates who believe all people should be able to afford to care for themselves and their loved ones. Since 2015, we have run some of the largest electoral programs in battleground states to support candidates that are fighting for policies like paid family and medical leave and quality, affordable child care, elder care and health care. We know how to effectively communicate about high costs and the economy in the way people actually think about it – emphasizing who is committed to lowering costs, and who isn’t. We use this insight to reach voters at the scale needed to have an impact, building support for candidates up and down the ballot who are committed to lowering the cost of caregiving.