Allentown, PA — Chloe Mackenzie — wife of Congressman Ryan Mackenzie (PA-07), mother of the couple’s two young children, and a former NPR/PBS 39 journalist — published an op-ed today about the Congressman’s experience as a working parent. Congressman Mackenzie has been a leader in the Republican Party on supporting working parents, including providing tax relief, expanding support for child care, and investing in programs like Head Start.
The morning after Ryan was elected to Congress in 2024, I reminded him that even members-elect don’t get out of diaper duty. I had work that morning, so Ryan took charge of our infant son’s routine: bottles, diapers, the works. Teamwork makes the dream work when both mom and dad have full-time roles.
As a father of two children just 21 months apart, both now under age 3, Ryan doesn’t have to imagine the realities of raising a young family today. When he talks about the economic pressures facing parents, he’s drawing on firsthand experience — including the late-night Target runs that leave you staring at a three-figure bill for formula, diapers, wipes and baby food.
But Ryan is in the minority in Congress when it comes to having young children at home. The median age of a member of the U.S. House of Representatives is 58. With relatively few lawmakers navigating the demands of early parenthood, it’s little wonder that the cost of raising a family can feel disconnected from the realities of policymaking. Monthly childcare bills can rival mortgage payments — assuming a young family can afford to buy a home in the first place.
For families already stretched thin, rising costs can make it feel nearly impossible to get ahead. I saw that firsthand as a reporter for the Lehigh Valley’s PBS and NPR news stations. I once embedded with “Rooster,” Allentown School District’s revered homeless liaison, who helped unhoused students and their families navigate daily life. I also reported from a Title I school in Carbon County, where I met a grandparent raising grandchildren instead of preparing financially for retirement.
These aren’t abstract policy challenges for Ryan, either. That’s why he hit the ground running on behalf of working families when he arrived in Washington. He advanced policies to expand paid family and medical leave, double federal tax credits to help families manage rising childcare costs, increase the child tax credit to cover everyday expenses such as clothing and groceries, and support assistance for adoption and IVF expenses.
Supporting working families and improving the conditions in which American children grow up should be priorities for every member of Congress. The lawmakers shaping family policy should understand what their decisions mean at home — from the cost of childcare to the daily challenge of balancing work and parenthood.
When a dad like Ryan has a seat in the Capitol, you and your kids have a seat there, too.
