Dear Neighbor,

This week, I’m back in Harrisburg, where I hope the legislature will finally take up real budget legislation. The Governor has convened hours of closed-door meetings with the lead negotiators for the House and Senate caucuses this week. As the budget impasse continues to drag on, I hope we can reach a deal with the Senate that will finally fund our schools, and human services and bring this impasse to an end.

I also want to share an important update regarding LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program). Due to the ongoing federal government shutdown, Pennsylvania must delay the opening of the 2025-26 LIHEAP season by one month to December 3, 2025. LIHEAP helps more than 300,000 Pennsylvania families heat their homes each year. We need Congress to pass a federal budget to help Pennsylvanians who rely on these programs. My office will continue to monitor this situation closely and share updates as they become available.

I have heard from a number of faith leaders and food bank volunteers who are concerned about the federal government’s decision not to make Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits available on November 1st due to the federal government shutdown. Today, Governor Josh Shapiro filed a lawsuit to demand the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) use billions of dollars in available, Congressionally appropriated contingency funding to SNAP benefits for November amid the ongoing federal government shutdown and ensure nearly 2 million Pennsylvanians receive the critical food assistance they need to feed themselves and their families. Governor Shapiro joined a coalition of 25 states and the District of Columbia in suing the Trump Administration for unlawfully suspending SNAP. The lawsuit argues that while normal appropriations for SNAP have lapsed because Republicans in Washington — who control both Congress and the White House — failed to pass a federal budget, alternative funds do exist and must be used to fund the program. In Pennsylvania last year, approximately 714,000 children and 697,000 seniors relied on SNAP every month. You can read the legal filing here. 

If you or someone you know needs help in the meantime, my office is here to assist with available resources. You can also find help by visiting PA navigate, calling 211, or visiting pa211.org.

Finally, the Pennsylvania Insurance Department has issued an official notice that reinforced Governor Shapiro’s Executive Order ensuring that vaccines, including COVID–19 and other critical immunizations, remain covered at no cost to consumers or other administrative barriers through December 31, 2026. Governor Shapiro signed this order on October 1, 2025, helping protect access to essential preventive care for all Pennsylvanians.

It’s important to contact your federal lawmakers, tell your story, and urge them to do the right thing and end the federal shutdown.

I have heard from a number of neighbors who have reached out with concerns about the Chester Water Authority’s proposed 14% rate increase and I share their concerns. While I support keeping CWA a public water system, being a public entity means that they are not subject to the same regulatory process around rate hikes as private companies and there are no mandatory hearings on rate hikes before the Public Utility Commission like there are for PECO. This afternoon, the state-appointed Receiver for the City of Chester held a live video meeting to discuss updates to the city’s recovery plan and the recent federal court ruling involving CWA.

On Thursday, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania ordered CWA’s attorneys to pay $135,575 in sanctions after they failed to comply with a court order requiring them to release key documents to the City of Chester. The court determined that CWA’s legal counsel intentionally delayed the discovery process during the city’s municipal bankruptcy proceedings.

During today’s meeting, the Receiver’s office announced a recovery plan modification filed in the Commonwealth Court, which includes:

1. Financial Transparency: To require CWA to provide detailed financial information justifying a proposed 14% rate increase for customers that would take effect January 1, 2026. The Receiver emphasized that the goal is not to block an increase, but ratepayers deserve to know why it is needed.

2. Board Restructuring: To address the unconstitutional composition of CWA’s Board, the filing requests that the court restructure the board so that five members are appointed by the City of Chester, restoring control to the city rather than the current structure split among the City of Chester, Chester County, and Delaware County.

Under Act 47, entities in receivership file recovery plans in Commonwealth Court that can be modified if needed. The court may hold a hearing within 30 days of filing and issue a ruling within 60 days.

To read more on the federal court sanctions and the implications for CWA customers, click here.

I recently co-sponsored legislation to repeal Act 12, which has allowed municipal water and sewer systems in Pennsylvania like the Chester Water Authority to be sold to private, for-profit companies which often result in higher rates for residents. Too many communities have seen their bills skyrocket after these sales.

Repealing Act 12 would pause future sales of public systems and give the legislature time to create a fair, long-term solution that protects ratepayers and restores local control.

Water is a basic human need. Keeping our water systems public means keeping them affordable, transparent, and accountable to the community.

My office will be closed next Tuesday, Nov. 4 for Election Day. Make sure you make a plan to vote!

Veterans Appreciation Lunch

We had a full house at my annual Veterans Appreciation Lunch last week, which I co-hosted with Senator John Kane at American Legion Post 926 in Aston Township. Attendees enjoyed a delicious lunch and had the opportunity to connect with organizations offering valuable resources and support for veterans and their families. A heartfelt thank you to all our attendees, and to our vendors for joining us.

I had the honor of presenting Patrick of Troop 277 in Wallingford with a citation last Thursday evening to recognize this incredible achievement. For his Eagle Scout project, Patrick renovated a neglected student outdoor area at Strath Haven Middle School by providing seating and storage for students and cleaning up the overgrown habitat.

On Friday morning, I attended the E-Scooter Safety Roundtable, hosted by Delaware County Council. The summit brought together traffic safety experts, first responders, state and municipal leaders and government partners to examine the challenges related to e-scooter use throughout Delaware County. Senator Tim Kearney’s office presented information about Abby’s Law, a new bill aimed at improving electric scooter safety statewide following the tragic death of 12-year-old Abigail Gillon, a student at Ridley Middle School, after an e-scooter accident in Aston.

 Abby's Law would:

• Recognize e-scooters as a regulated micromobility vehicle in the PA Vehicle Code.
• Establish safety requirements for operation and helmets based on age.
• Create a public awareness campaign to educate riders and parents on the safe operation and riding of e-scooters.

Senator Kearney introduced the bill in the Senate as SB 1008 but it has not yet gotten any votes or hearing. I will be tracking this bill carefully.

I was excited to join the Foundation for Delaware County launch of Family Village!

Family Village is a new, centralized hub where families in Delaware County can access wraparound services from pregnancy through early childhood – bringing all the Foundation’s programming under one umbrella. That includes care from nurses, doulas, WIC nutritionists, and community health workers for services such as nutrition and breastfeeding, housing support and legal counseling, mental health services, parenting education, support for partners and other caregivers, and so much more.

On Monday morning before driving to Harrisburg, I attended a MIPC Equipment Deployment Drill to learn how first responders would respond if there were a pipeline leak in our community. Monroe Energy, which runs the refinery in Trainer and the tank farm in Aston, owns a subsidiary company called MIPC, which operates more than 50 miles of pipeline that transports liquid fuels in our area. You can see a map of the pipeline below. The pipeline is also easy to locate using the above-ground yellow markers.

One of the major federal organizations that regulates the pipeline is the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). PHMSA requires Monroe to demonstrate that they can respond in case an emergency occurs along the line, so they’re required to conduct one "equipment deployment" drill each year. These are typically a surprise drill for most of the team of responders so that it can be a true test.

Yesterday’s drill in Brookhaven was in the wooded area between Cambridge Road and Kincaid Mills Lane, adjacent to Brookhaven Memorial Park, where it crosses Ridley Creek. A second location in Wallingford is where they established a second water boom.

The primary purpose of this drill is to evaluate in real time the response capabilities in getting personnel and mitigation assets in place. This drill did not involve any test release of inert liquids, objects, etc. or any other disturbance of property or the environment whatsoever. Monroe conducted door-to-door visits a few days prior to let residents in the immediate vicinity know about the drill, and signs were posted in the area indicating that a drill was taking place so as not to alarm anyone.

Brookhaven Fire and Police Departments participated, and the emergency operations command center was sent up at the firehouse.

I observed the process at the field location and the command center. I was onsite when Monroe’s field personnel arrived and started establishing their positions and deploying assets. Once the first responders were situated, I traveled to the Brookhaven firehouse to observe the command center to see how the team jumped into their various roles in accordance with the FEMA Incident Command Management System (ICMS). ICMS is a centralized emergency response operating system that allows for uniformity of structure, roles and responsibilities, and expectations across private industry, first responders, and local, state, and federal agencies. In essence, it’s a way to make sure that everyone who shows up in the event of an emergency is speaking the same language, which ultimately leads to a more organized and capable response and mitigation effort.

While I hope that we never have a real emergency like this, visiting the drill was very educational. I’m grateful to the first responders who put in their time to train to protect our community.

Are you a veteran in Delaware County? Delaware County offers Veteran ID cards that can be used at particiapting local businesses to receive discounts in appreciation of your service. The cards are issued by the Delaware County Office of the Recorder of Deeds.

For more information, visit the Recorder of Deeds website or call 610-891-4252 with any questions.

Apply for free today: https://www.delcopa.org/veteran-program

Election Day is on November 4

Election day is right around the corner and it’s a good time to make your plan to vote.

• Tuesday, November 4 – Election Day: Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. Voters must be in line by 8 p.m. to cast their ballot.
• 8 p.m. Tuesday, November 4 – Deadline for mail-in and absentee ballots to be received.

If you have any questions about voting, finding your polling place, where to drop your mail-in-ballot, you can call 1-877-868-3772, visit vote.pa.gov, or contact the Delaware County Election Office at 610-891-4673 for assistance.

Public Hearing

PA House Environmental Committee and Natural Resource Protection Committee

Wednesday, November 5

10 AM

Chester City Hall

1 Fourth St., Chester

I have gotten some questions from neighbors about the possibility of a Liquid Natural Gas Export Terminal coming to Delaware County. The Pennsylvania House Environmental and Natural Resource Protection Committee will hold a hearing in Chester, Nov. 5 on the proposed Penn American LNG export terminal. The committee will have a full roster of testifiers both for and against the project.

The public is invited to attend in person or watch a livestream on the House committee website.

The Pennsylvania Auditor General is asking Pennsylvania students to help design the cover of their new Be Money $mart Activity Book!

• Submissions are due October 31
• Open to K–12 students in Pennsylvania

Learn more on the Auditor General’s website: https://www.paauditor.gov/.../be-money-smart/activitybook/

Diaper Drive

Accepting Donations Through Friday, December 12

My office is teaming up with Senator Tim Kearney to host a Diaper Drive to benefit Healthy Start, Nurse-Family Partnerships, WIC, and Maternity Care Coalition. Please donate new and unused packages of diapers, baby formula, and wipes to the following drop-off locations:

Brookhaven District Office

115 E Brookhaven Rd., Brookhaven, PA 19015

Ridley Area YMCA

900 South Ave., Secane, PA 19018

Rocky Run YMCA

1299 W. Baltimore Pike, Media, PA 19063

For additional information call my office at 610-534-6880.

Upcoming PA Medi Webinars

Please register by calling 610-534-6880 or email RepKrueger@pahouse.net

Medicare 101

Monday, November 3, 2025

6:30 PM – 7:30 PM

Medicare Drug & Advantage Plan Comparisons

Monday, November 10, 2025

10:30 AM – 11:30 AM

Main Line Health’s Smokefree Program

Program 3

November 5, 12

Virtual 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Program 4

Tuesdays: November 11, 18, 25

December 2, 9, 16

Virtual 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM

Free CPR Certification

Thursday, October 30

9 AM – 1 PM

Delaware County Wellness Center

125 Chester Ave., Yeadon

To register call 484-276-2100

Tools for Tomorrow – Job Readiness Workshop

Thursday, November 6, 2025

10:30 AM – 11:30 AM

Keystone First Wellness and Opportunity Center

1929 W. 9th St., Chester, PA 19013

Pennsylvania State Capitol
512-E Main Capitol Building

 PO Box 202161
Harrisburg, PA 17120-2161
(717) 705-2567

District Office

115 E. Brookhaven Rd.
Brookhaven, PA 19015
(610) 534-6880