SALISBURY TWP., Pa. — U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie answered questions about Ukraine, health care and immigration during his first in-person town hall inside his battleground congressional district Wednesday.
Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley, took questions from host Tony Iannelli and about a dozen audience members for an hour during a taping of "Business Matters" at WFMZ-TV's studio.
While Mackenzie has hosted his own telephone town halls and participated in a CNN event, the program was the first time the freshman congressman participated in a Q&A session face-to-face with constituents inside Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District.
At the program's start, Iannelli explained the 25-member audience included business and community leaders invited from both sides of the political aisle.
The show lived up to the billing as people presented questions on immigration, tariffs and veterans affairs. The tone always remained cordial, though Mackenzie and Lehigh County Democratic Chair Lori MacFarland tangled over his criticisms of the weekly protests she's helped lead outside his township office.
"It is people's right. It is people's freedom of speech."U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, on protesters outside his main district office
Mackenzie accused the group of mostly senior citizens of disrespecting the local businesses and neighbors who are inconvenienced by their peaceful protests. It mirrored similar remarks he made following the "No Kings" protests in June when he accused demonstrators of interfering with traffic near St. Luke's Anderson Campus in Bethlehem Township.
"It is people's right. It is people's freedom of speech. But to be respectful to other people in the community? That's not happening because they're not listening to those requests from other participants in the local community," Mackenzie said.
McFarland countered that her group blocks no rights of way, parks in designated places and never leaves behind a mess.
"We've been really good servants in terms of protesting under the guidelines," McFarland said.
"So if the building and the tenants say how disruptive it is, will you stop protesting then?" Mackenzie asked.
"Absolutely not because that's not true," she answered.
The other audience members didn't engage in back-and-forths with Mackenzie.
Arland Schantz, the owner of Evergreen Farms in Lower Milford Township, asked what Congress is doing to help farmers. By cracking down on illegal border crossings, the federal government has inadvertently created a labor shortage in the agriculture sector, he said.
Mackenzie agreed it was a problem but said that securing the border was the greater priority. Now that Congress has achieved that — the One Big Beautiful Bill Act committed $350 billion to immigration enforcement — lawmakers need to bring about immigration reform, he said.
"There are so many instances where people are coming to this country, they want to work, they want to help the agriculture sector or do another job. But even coming through the legal channel, it is impossible because that system is totally broken," Mackenzie said.
Tariffs and Ukraine
Before the audience presented their questions, Iannelli pressed his own questions on a variety of subjects. He noted that President Donald Trump has recently reversed his stance on Ukraine.
After promising he would negotiate an end to the war between Ukraine and Russia within 24 hours of taking office, Trump is now encouraging NATO members to shoot down Russian incursions into their airspace.
On the campaign trail, Mackenzie advocated for cutting off American support for Ukraine in favor of a negotiated peace. Russia would inevitably win a war of attrition, and sending American resources would be a waste, he said.
On Wednesday, Mackenzie continued to blast the Biden administration's military aid packages as a failed approach but acknowledged the diplomatic efforts he advocated for have not worked, either.
"I'm glad to see the president is maybe shifting his tone there yesterday because I think we are going to have to continue to find a way to get to peace in Ukraine and Russia."U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley
He credited Congress with shifting Trump's approach, noting that lawmakers have introduced legislation that would levy economic sanctions against not only Russia but any country that continues to buy Russian fuel, which is vital to its economy.
"I'm glad to see the president is maybe shifting his tone there yesterday because I think we are going to have to continue to find a way to get to peace in Ukraine and Russia," Mackenzie said.
Mackenzie also offered mild criticism of Trump when Iannelli asked him about the president's tariff strategy. He voiced support for a strong crackdown against China, saying that it has manipulated currency, stolen intellectual property and encouraged other unfair business practices.
He also backed stronger tariffs against European allies, saying they've taken protectionist stances by passing high tariffs on American products. But the rollout of the tariff plan, he said, has been too chaotic.
"The change in rates was very disruptive to many businesses," Mackenzie said. "Whatever the number is, they're going to deal with it, and they're going to adjust their business. But they want to know what that number is going to be so they can build it into their operations."
Another guest asked what oversight measures Mackenzie will seek to ensure Hispanic and immigrant communities in the Lehigh Valley won't be abused by immigration enforcement. The Supreme Court's recent ruling allowing ICE agents to stop people based off their appearance or accent has terrified even legal residents who fear they may be wrongfully detained, she said.
Mackenzie agreed that legal, law-abiding citizens should not be getting deported. Each case, though, should be judged by its merits, he said.
One constituent approached his office, saying law enforcement was trying to deport him for a simple marijuana case in his home country, Mackenzie said. In fact, law enforcement in his nation of origin alleged he was involved in organized crime.
"In individual cases, you do have to look at both sides," Mackenzie said. "You do have to withhold judgment and make sure that due process is carried out."
Another guest asked Mackenzie what he is doing to support regular families, saying he hasn't seen those efforts from the lawmaker.
Mackenzie pointed to legislation he introduced that would create tax breaks for families looking to grow their families through in vitro fertilization, an expanded tax credit for child care and encourage more businesses to offer paid family leave. He also supported the expanded child tax credit, which was included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
"People won't see that until they go to file their taxes. It would have fallen down to $1,000 per child. Now it's going to be $2,200 per child and it will be indexed to inflation moving forward," Mackenzie said.
Democratic field will be invited in 2026
Wednesday's town hall will be split into two episodes of Iannelli's "Business Matters." The first half, which features Iannelli's interview and some constituent questions, will air Monday, Sept. 29, on WFMZ at 7:30 p.m. The second half, which is entirely constituent questions, will air at the same time on Monday, Oct. 6.
"Business Matters" intends to invite Mackenzie's Democratic challengers to the program ahead of next year's midterm primaries, Iannelli said. To date, the Democratic field includes firefighter union leader Bob Brooks; former federal prosecutor Ryan Crosswell; Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure; energy engineer Carol Obando-Derstine; and Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley.
Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District is one of the most hotly contested U.S. House seats in the nation due to its near-even numbers of registered Republicans and Democrats and an unusually high share of independents.
With only a few seats determining control of the House, both parties have invested heavily in local campaigns in recent years in hopes of carrying the district. The candidates and their allies pumped $38 million into the PA-7 race in the 2024 election cycle.
The spending marked a record high for the region and was the 10th most expensive House race in the country, according to OpenSecrets, a nonprofit that tracks campaign spending.
