RSVP to My Oct. 3rd Fraud Event

Rep. Joseph Ciresi September 26, 2025 | 1:34 PM

Dear Neighbor,

In this weekly e-newsletter, I want to share with you information I hope you will find helpful:

RSVP to my fraud event for area seniors, Friday, Oct. 3
High Holy Days: Days of Awe
Happy Hispanic Heritage Month!
SNAP cuts and changes will impact everyone
Food Insecurity Report cancelled
State grant program funding available
What to expect on Route 422 next week

RSVP to my fraud event for area seniors, Friday, Oct. 3

Our senior population is the biggest target for scams in Pennsylvania, so I want to give our seniors an opportunity to learn how to spot common scams to protect your finances and prevent your lives from being upended by scammers.

My fraud event for seniors, “Popular Scams and How to Avoid Them,” will be from 10 a.m. to noon on Friday, Oct. 3 at the Royersford Free Public Library.

At the event, there will be

Ambler Mayor Jeanne Sorg’s quick update on FraudSleuth, a property fraud profile feature with automatic alerts offered by the Montgomery County Recorder of Deeds
Ambler Saving’s Bank’s presentation on check washing and business scams
AARP Consumer Task Force’s talk on romance scams targeting the senior population.

According to the FBI, millions of seniors each year are successfully targeted by scammers, to the tune of $3 billion in losses annually. Seniors are often targeted because they tend to be trusting, have savings, are homeowners and have good credit.

Light refreshments will be served.

RSVPs are required. Please call my office at (484) 200-8265 to reserve your seat.

SNAP cuts and changes will impact everyone

This week, Sen. Art Haywood joined me to speak about the impact of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program changes and cuts in Montgomery County.

The Context: Food insecurity in Montgomery County is growing at the time SNAP cuts are being enacted. According to Feeding America, 9.9% of Montgomery County’s population, or 85,500 people, were food insecure in 2023, and 40% of that population was below the SNAP threshold. According to a 2024 Montgomery County report, SNAP enrollment in Montgomery County had tripled, from 17,194 in 2004 to 62,700 in 2023.

What’s Going to Happen: At a time when food insecurity is growing in Montgomery County, the federal budget cuts and changes to SNAP will have an impact on our communities like that of an asteroid hitting earth. There’ll be a ground zero and then ripples outward from the impact. None of us will be unaffected.”

From those losing SNAP benefits to the grocers, food retailers and farms that received funding to support them to our schools caring for hungry kids to our hospitals treating nutritionally deprived patients to our churches and food pantries feeding exponentially more hungry people to our small businesses’ struggling with a loss of revenue due to decreased consumerism—no one will be left untouched, except for the billionaires made richer by these cuts.

And if you think that these cuts won’t force anyone eligible out of SNAP, I’ve got news for you. I’ve seen the federal government roll out pandemic-era Unemployment Benefits. I’ve heard my constituents’ customer service horror stories when they tried to get REAL ID in time. Mistakes happen, websites falter, and people who are trying to follow the rules sometimes get shut out.

The notion that thousands of eligible SNAP recipients will not get tripped up on red tape and silly reporting requirements is laughable.

Our neighbors deserve better.

Food Insecurity Report Cancelled

I want to alert you to a recent Wall Street Journal article that reported on the Trump Administration’s cancelation of an annual report on food insecurity beginning in 2025.

The Trump administration has cancelled the food insecurity survey because they don’t want to know how many people are struggling to feed themselves and their families. They especially don’t want to know while food insecurity is increasing due to rising inflation and poor labor market conditions.

As your state representative, I am devastated by this decision as this report gave legislators and policy makers the data needed to determine whether a food program was working or not. The Trump administration is trying to duck responsibility for the millions of Americans who are going to suffer from food insecurity from cutting SNAP.

The report came out of battles in the 1980s in reaction to President Reagan’s remarks denying that there was a hunger problem in the United States.

CAO Update

Beginning October 2, all County Assistance Offices (CAO), the DHS Customer Service Centers (CSC), and the DHS Helpline will open to the public and begin operations at 11 a.m. on Thursdays. This change does not affect posted hours at CAOs, CSC call centers or DHS Helpline hours on other days of the week.

The public will not be able to enter offices and calls will not be accepted before 11 a.m. on Thursdays due to staff training. Thursday morning delayed openings will continue for the foreseeable future.

State grant program funding available

The latest grant opportunities from the state have been released! My office is happy to connect you with government funding opportunities like these, so please reach out if you have any questions or need a letter of support.

High Holy Days: Days of Awe

This past Monday was the beginning of Rosh Hashanah. I hope my Jewish neighbors had a wonderful Rosh Hashanah! May your reflections on the past year lead to the fulfillment of hopes in the coming year.

On Yom Kippur next week, I hope that you will be sealed in the Book of Life and have an easy fast.

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month!

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month to you and yours! The USA has so much to be proud of due in large part to Latino people who have helped build this democracy and have contributed to the sciences, education, mathematics, technology, cuisine, music, business, athletics, politics, military, technology, linguistics, public safety, all forms of art, and just life, in general.

What to expect on Route 422 next week

Monday, September 29, through Wednesday, October 8, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, a weekday lane closure will be in place on sections of eastbound U.S. 422 between the Trappe/Royersford and Phoenixville/Collegeville (Route 29) interchanges.

Monday, September 29, through Friday, October 3, from 6:00 AM to 2:00 PM, a periodic lane closure will be in place on westbound U.S. 422 between the Sanatoga (Evergreen Road) and Armand Hammer Boulevard interchanges.

Monday, September 29, through Friday, October 3, from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, a periodic lane closure will be in place on eastbound U.S. 422 between the Armand Hammer Boulevard and Sanatoga (Evergreen Road) interchanges.

Motorists are advised to allow extra time when traveling through the work areas because backups and delays will occur. All scheduled activities are weather dependent.