LOWER TOWAMENSING TWP., Pa. — A member of the U.S. House leadership joined U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie for a tour of a local manufacturing plant Thursday as part of a larger effort to promote the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley, and U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain, chairwoman of the House Republican Conference, got an up-close look at Ampal Inc. on Little Gap Road.
The company, a subsidiary of U.S. Metal Powder Inc., melts down enormous blocks of aluminum, then sprays the molten metal, creating small flakes. The powder then is sorted, tested and packaged to be shipped to customers in packaging or by the trainload.
The manufacturing company plans to open a fourth line of its aluminum powder operation this month.
"That is a direct benefit for those workers in our local community — a greater opportunity to see an expansion of the income and growth right here in the Lehigh Valley."U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzi
It's already the largest manufacturer of the powder in North America; U.S. Metal Powder President Eric Degenfelder anticipates the company will produce 40 million pounds of the stuff in 2026, up from 30 million pounds this year.
The powder has applications in metallic paint, electromagnetic shielding, fireworks and explosives. The company is considered strategically important as its products are critical to the U.S. military, Degenfelder said.
Mackenzie said the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will pay dividends for businesses such as Ampal.
The law's changes to the tax code will let the company more quickly receive its tax breaks — money it then can use to grow its business.
The company's shift workers also will head home with larger paychecks because of the law. The employees put in 110 hours of overtime every week, and the bill ended federal taxes on overtime pay, he said.
"That is a direct benefit for those workers in our local community — a greater opportunity to see an expansion of the income and growth right here in the Lehigh Valley," Mackenzie said.
Selling Trump's signature law
The stop marked McClain's third day in congressional districts in the eastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey following stops with U.S. Reps. Rob Bresnahan, R-Pennsylvania, and Tom Kean Jr., R-New Jersey.
The three districts are among the most contested in the nation, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has targeted all three in the 2026 midterm elections.
"... There's something to be said when you come out to somebody's business, like here in Representative Mackenzie's district, and you can actually see those policies come to life."U.S. Rep. Lisa McLain, chairwoman of the House Republican Conference
"We think there are some really great policy wins in it," McClain said, referring to the One Big Beautiful Bill.
"But there's something to be said when you come out to somebody's business, like here in Representative Mackenzie's district, and you can actually see those policies come to life."
Republicans in Congress may have their work cut out for them promoting President Donald Trump's signature tax-and-spending plan.
Polls show the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is broadly unpopular with the American public.
While the law extended and expanded Trump's popular 2017 tax breaks, it also reduced access to Medicaid and SNAP benefits, also known as food stamps.
The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office expects the bill will increase the national deficit $3.4 trillion over the next decade, a figure that Mackenzie and other Republicans have questioned.
The KFF Health Tracking Poll found in July that only 36% of Americans have a favorable view of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The poll found a partisan divide among the public, with Democrats and independents expressing negative views while Republicans fostered higher opinions of the package.
While Degenfelder offered praise for the positive effects the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will have on his business, he offered more measured remarks on Trump's tariffs.
The aluminum blocks Ampal purchases from overseas now carry a 50% tariff, he said. The company has had to raise its prices about 25% to compensate, he said.
Degenfelder said he's lobbied lawmakers such as MacKenzie, McClain and U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pennsylvania, to level the playing field.
Aluminum powder being sent into the country isn't facing a tariff, which has made it hard to compete, he said.
"I think when you implement these things, there's some fine tuning," he said. "I think we're in the fine-tuning phase right now."
