BETHLEHEM, Pa. — U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie announced he'll be hosting a telephone town hall event Thursday evening — just as his political rivals launch their own town hall that will focus on proposed cuts to Medicaid.
Earlier this week, organizers with the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, several unions, multiple local advocacy groups and Planned Parenthood announced they will hold an in-person town hall event at the Cathedral Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem at 6 p.m. Thursday.
The group invited Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley, to attend so that members of the public could press him on proposed reductions to the federal health insurance program available to America's poorest residents.
"Rep. Mackenzie refuses to show up and listen to how these devastating Medicaid cuts will impact the people he represents — so we’re hosting our own town hall," reads a news release issued earlier this week by the nonprofit group Protect Our Care.
But less than 24 hours before that event, Mackenzie's office Wednesday announced he would hold his own telephone town hall at 6:05 p.m. Thursday.
It will be the first time Mackenzie has made himself available to the general public since he took the oath of office as the Lehigh Valley's congressman in January.
"The congressman got great feedback when he did these. It's the most convenient way to allow the largest number of people to attend."Arnaud Armstrong, spokesman for U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie on telephone town halls
During his tenure as a state representative in Lehigh County, Mackenzie held multiple telephone town halls so that seniors, those with disabilities and parents with young children could easily participate, Mackenzie spokesman Arnaud Armstrong said.
"The congressman got great feedback when he did these. It's the most convenient way to allow the largest number of people to attend," he said.
Dueling town halls
When asked about the timing of the telephone town hall, Armstrong said that office staff have been planning the telephone town hall for several weeks.
"On Thursday, while the DNC and their special interest allies stage a partisan stunt to distract from their record-low approval ratings, Congressman Mackenzie will be answering questions from constituents and discussing the issues," he added.
The timing is sure to rile Democrats, who have been regularly demonstrating outside Mackenzie's office for weeks over the proposed cuts.
"This last-minute lame attempt to literally phone it in while the voters of PA-7 are terrified and hurting is the ultimate act of cowardice and arrogance. Ryan MacKenzie is an accomplice in the MAGA Party's attempt to strip away millions of hard-working Patriotic Americans' healthcare and security and thinks he can hide from his constituents' fears and anger," said Mitch Kates, executive director of PA Dems, said in a prepared statement Monday morning.
Mackenzie and nearly every House Republican voted for a budget resolution last month that would necessitate massive cuts in Medicaid or Medicare — up to $880 billion. Congress is still working out the details on the final budget, but the vote has drawn hundreds of people to local protests.
Mackenzie vowed on the campaign trail that he will never vote to cut Medicare, but he has not extended the same pledge to Medicaid. He has called for revoking Medicaid eligibility from people illegally in the country. States have broad latitude in who receives Medicaid benefits; Pennsylvania generally limits it to legal residents.
Earlier this month, U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson, chair of the Republican National Congressional Committee, advised his colleagues not to hold in-person town hall events. Republican officials allege the town hall events have been disrupted by paid protesters.
Videos of several town halls have gone viral on social media in recent weeks as attendees expressed outrage over widespread cuts made by the Department of Government Efficiency, the new federal office led by billionaire Elon Musk. Multiple courts have found DOGE's efforts to defund government programs and lay off federal employees en masse are likely unconstitutional.
The PA-7 battleground
Mackenzie defeated Democratic incumbent Rep. Susan Wild in November by about 1% of the vote in Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District. The bellwether seat is among the most competitive congressional races in the country.
Candidates and their allies spent more than $38 million in the PA-7 race last year, making it one of the nation's most expensive House races.
Mackenzie's brief tenure has already drawn an opponent for the 2026 election. Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure, whom Mackenzie has feuded with over the county's policies with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, announced last month he will seek the Democratic nomination for Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District.
If you go
Several groups, including the Pennsylvania Democratic Party and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, are hosting a town hall event at Cathedral Church of the Nativity located at 321 Wyandotte St. in Bethlehem. The event begins at 6 p.m.
Mackenzie's telephone town hall begins at 6:05 p.m. Thursday evening. People can call 877-228-2184 and use the PIN 123440 to participate.
