Bresnahan On Healthcare, Data Centers, His First Term

Rep. Rob Bresnahan, Jr. headed back from Washington to lend his support at the scene of a recent fire that led to the evacuation of 77 patients from Lehigh Valley Hospital in Dickson City.

 “We knew there was going to be a pinch point for healthcare in northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA), but never in my wildest dreams did I have on my bingo card that Lehigh Valley Health Network, Jefferson’s other micro-hospital in Lackawanna County, would have a major fire,” Bresnahan told RealClearPennsylvania.

The fire shows “how important making sure that there was continuity of care for health care in northeastern Pennsylvania and getting that CHS Tenor deal across the finish line ultimately was for the district,” he said. The hospitals where the rescued patients were taken were “part of the Tenor acquisition.”

He’s spoken to President Trump, Vice President Vance, and CMS Administrator Dr. Oz about the issue, mentioning Pike County, which is among the fastest-growing counties in Pennsylvania, and has no hospital. The closest is Wayne Memorial Hospital, nearly an hour away.

“When you’re talking about life-threatening conditions, you don’t have an hour to commute,” Bresnahan said.

Asked his thoughts about HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr.’s MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) movement, Bresnahan, 35, said when he was 12 years old, his dad, then 40, had a massive heart attack. That experience led him to be careful with his diet and exercise.

“I’ve successfully completed two marathons, the Steamtown Marathon as well as the New York City Marathon,” said Bresnahan. “Two years ago, my wife and I actually ran it together.”

His father is fine now, he added.

Concerning the proliferation of data centers, Bresnahan said he is “agnostic.”

“I’m a big believer in property rights,” he said. If data centers come to NEPA, “they have to be good stewards of the culture in NEPA. I am a proponent of job creation that would come to the building trade, but I think there’s a proper place where these things could be placed, and it’s not necessarily in someone’s backyard.”

The data centers also need to be “good neighbors.”

“They can’t expect our senior citizens to front the cost of major transmission and power distribution,” he said, adding that data centers also must not strain “water resources.”

About the brouhaha over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Bresnahan said, “I believe the events in Minnesota were a preventable tragedy. I absolutely support an independent investigation to figure out what happened.”

“I believe Border Patrol and ICE play and have an important mission to protect our country against criminal illegal aliens,” he said. “I support the efforts but expect them to be carried out lawfully.”  Violent offenders “should be deported immediately.”

He was “extremely happy to support the Laken Riley Act,” which was named for a young Georgia nursing student brutally murdered by an illegal immigrant from Venezuela.

Casework for constituents is extremely important to him. His office has returned $5.13 million to constituents, and he cosponsored more than 200 bills, including one that simplifies the forms that veterans need to file for claims. They also responded to more than 80,000 inquiries, and he attended 351 local events.

Bresnahan, a member of the Transportation Infrastructure Committee and vice chairman of the Highway Transit subcommittee, said permitting reform is an issue he’s working on.

He pointed to the Nanticoke Bridge, which awaits reconstruction.

“When that job (is) put out to bid, it could be another six years, and this is a main artery,” he said. “Six years before the engineering, the environmental, the architectural, and putting all the different parameters in place,” he said. “This shouldn’t be so prohibitive in nature that it takes six years to be able to put a shovel in the ground.”  A $55 million estimate for the bridge two and a half years ago has ballooned to $110 million.

He also wants to “invest in the next generation of workers” because he sees a shortage looming.

“We were able to secure $3 million for the Wayne and Pike County Career and Technical Center,” he said. He also referenced the $1 million for wastewater infrastructure expansion by working through the bipartisan “Build America Caucus.” Bresnahan secured about $20 million in funding for 14 projects, and 13 have been signed into law.

Despite his successes, Bresnahan faces a tough midterm race. His seat was targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

 “PA-8 is one of four congressional races in Pennsylvania that will play a major role in determining control of the US House. Rep. Bresnahan's seat is actually the most Republican-leaning of the four, but given the midterm environment and the fact that this is his first term in office, he makes for a good target for Democrats,” said Franklin & Marshall political science Professor Berwood Yost.

“The district has shown a willingness to support Democratic congressional candidates, and Joe Biden was competitive in the district in 2020, which is another reason Democrats are targeting it,” said Yost. “The outcome of this race will be a harbinger of how the electorate is feeling.”

Gov. Josh Shapiro recently endorsed Bresnahan’s likely Democratic opponent, Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti, who has criticized Bresnahan for stock market trades.

Bresnahan worked in his grandfather’s heavy highway electrical contractor business and became its chief financial officer at 19, becoming CEO in 2013. There were 50 employees, and he grew the business to more than 150 employees and started a real estate business.

“I’m not sure why my prior financial success has become the focal point of all of the rationale behind my presumptive opponent,” he said. “But you know they’re trying to point it out or paint it out that I’m day trading. I’ve always worked with an institutionally managed fund. I gave my money to a bank, and they do what they’re going to do. I don’t have any discretion.”

Bresnahan had “reached out to the House Ethics Committee and (asked) how do we transition to a blind trust,” he said.  But he discovered that if he did, he would not be able to specify that his portfolio was not invested in companies owned by “our foreign adversaries.” He’s also introduced legislation to limit congressional stock trading, an issue made famous by the fortune amassed by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.  

“I have directed my financial advisors to remove us from the institutionally managed fund, take away the active trade, and basically just halt everything, hold it long-term, because they’re all American-made companies,” he said. “I’m investing in the future of the United States.”

Democratic consultant TJ Rooney, the former chair of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, said, “Rob Bresnahan made ethics and accountability central to his campaign, particularly when it came to members of Congress using insider information to enrich themselves. Since taking office, however, his actions have directly contradicted that rhetoric. That disconnect – saying one thing on the campaign trail and doing another in Washington – has not gone unnoticed by voters.

“At the same time, Democrats have a credible, top-tier challenger in Mayor Paige Cognetti, who brings executive experience, local credibility, and a track record of governing rather than posturing,” Rooney said. “Layer onto that the continued drag Donald Trump has on swing-district Republicans in Pennsylvania, and it’s clear why Democrats view this seat as competitive.”

But Reilly Richardson, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, disagrees.

“Since day one in office, Rob Bresnahan has been laser-focused on delivering a strong economy and safe streets for Pennsylvanians. From instituting historic tax relief for working families and seniors to securing the southern border and supporting American energy, Congressman Bresnahan’s first term has been an unquestionable success,” Richardson said.

Linda Stein is a Philadelphia-area freelance writer.