Dan Meuser
Daniel Philip Meuser ( ; born February 10, 1964) is an American businessman, politician, and philanthropist who is the U.S. representative for Pennsylvania's 9th congressional district. A Republican, he previously served as the secretary of revenue in the cabinet of Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett. He was previously president of the Pride Corporation, a manufacturer of motorized wheelchairs in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton metro area of Pennsylvania, and currently serves the company as a board member and consultant. He has previously testified before Congress regarding the criticality for federal practices surrounding rights and caring for the disabled. In November 2018 , he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Business career. Meuser was an executive at Pride Mobility Products, a business that he built with his brother Scott and his father Stan. His brother, Scott Meuser, is the chairman and CEO of the company. Meuser left the company in August 2008 to pursue a career in public service. He had worked there since 1988. Although he left his position, he remained on the company's board of directors. During Meuser's tenure at Pride, the company grew from $2 million in sales to over $400 million. In 2002 , Pride paid $80,000 to settle a government investigation that a Pride customer referral program intended to connect interested consumers with Pride product retailers was not compliant because retailers were required to pay Pride between $10 and $25 per referral as opposed to a flat annual fee. In 2006, Meuser received HomeCare magazine's HomeCaring Award, which recognized his work in the home medical equipment industry. U.S. House of Representatives. Elections. Meuser was a candidate for the GOP nomination in Pennsylvania's 10th congressional district, having announced the launch of his campaign in September 2007. He was defeated  in the Republican primary by fellow businessman Chris Hackett, who went on to lose to Democratic incumbent Chris Carney in November 2008. Meuser heavily underscored his conservative values, even referencing Ronald Reagan and strongly emphasizing his work at Pride Mobility as part of a larger effort to embrace small-scale government and low taxes. The endorsements he received included a laundry list of well-known Pennsylvania conservatives including, most notably, former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum and then-Hazleton mayor Lou Barletta. He was attacked by Hackett for hiring undocumented immigrants in Pride Mobility and funding prominent national Democratic politicians. In  1997 Pride Mobility was fined $41,000 for hiring 3 undocumented immigrants in 1995; however, the fine was later reduced to $23,000 after Pride Mobility appealed. The individuals in question had presented false documentation to Pride before technology like E-Verify was available. Pride took the incident seriously and took steps to ensure they wouldn't recur. The discovery that Hackett had previously hired an undocumented immigrant as a maid in his home—albeit he did claim to dismiss her once he learned of her status—was perceived to seriously damage Hackett's public image. On the night of  the primary, the nail-bitingly close returns—despite initially displaying a comfortable Meuser lead—were soon indicating a virtual tie for some time throughout the night, with merely more than 100 votes separating the candidates at one point. However, as time passed, Hackett took a lead that seemed to gradually grow within hours. By roughly 11:15 p.m. ET, local news media and the Associated Press dubbed Hackett, who had garnered 52 percent of the vote to Meuser's 48 percent, the projected winner of the primary. When Meuser ran for the 10th congressional district in 2008, he lived in the  11th congressional district, where Lou Barletta was running for Congress against incumbent Paul Kanjorski. Meuser promised that he would actually live in the district by the time voters cast their ballots in the primary election; he had purchased a house in Harvey's Lake, which is in the 10th district, however, he still resides in Dallas, Pennsylvania. In October 2017, Meuser announced that he would run as a Republican to represent Pennsylvania's 9th congressional district. The district had previously been the 11th, represented by four-term fellow Republican Lou Barletta, who was running for the United States Senate. In  March 2018, over 100 members of the Lebanon County Republican Committee unanimously endorsed Meuser. Meuser "strongly backs" President Trump's "America First agenda". The Republican primary candidates were Meuser, Scott Uehlinger and George Halcovage. The Democratic candidates were Susan Quick, Denny Wolff and Gary Wegman. The primary election was held on May 15, 2018. On April 18, 2018, the Making America Great PAC announced its endorsement of Meuser. The PAC's chairman said, "Dan is a business-minded problem solver, a conservative, and he is focused on results, not rhetoric. Dan will go to Washington and join President Trump to  fight for the America First Agenda." In early May 2018, the Republican Committee of Columbia County met with all three candidates running for the 9th congressional district seat. After a series of questions about their campaign priorities, the committee voted to put its full support behind Meuser. Among Meuser's local endorsements were Republican Mayor of the City of Shamokin John Brown and City Councilman Dan McGaw. Prior to a debate in Berks County, Meuser told opponent Denny Wolff to "go to hell", which he originally denied before later acknowledging. In May 2018, Meuser's campaign announced an initiative called  Women for Meuser, which is a group of women supporters of Meuser's campaign for Congress. Meuser had endorsements from at least 31 prominent elected or politically active women including State Senator Lisa Baker, conservative television host Tiffany Cloud, State Representative Tarah Toohil, State Representative Karen Boback, and Luzerne County District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis. Tenure. In December 2020, Meuser joined over 120 Republican members of the House of Representatives in signing an amicus brief in support of a Texas lawsuit that sought to invalidate Pennsylvania's 2020 presidential election votes. The Pennsylvania Attorney General described the case as a "seditious  abuse of the judicial process". The Supreme Court issued orders on December 11, declining to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of the election held by another state. Political positions. Abortion. Meuser opposes legalized abortion and refers to fetuses as "pre-born human persons." According to his campaign, "Dan has personally funded chartered buses to take people from our area to the annual March for Life Rally in Washington, D.C." He is opposed to federal funding for abortion and opposed to federal health coverage that includes  abortion services. He also believes that "equal protection must be granted to each born and pre-born human person via the United States Constitution under the 14th Amendment". Defense and military. Meuser supported Trump's plan to add $54 billion increase in defense spending. He also supports the travel ban on countries that Trump implemented, his campaign stating, "We cannot allow individuals to enter our country without knowing enough about their identity and background and the need to improve our immigration vetting processes, end visa overstays and examine the issues of chain migration. We can no longer stand  by and allow individuals we know little about from countries hell-bent on destroying America enter our country." Donald Trump. As the House of Representatives was debating HR 489 in July 2019, which passed 240 - 187, condemning President Donald Trump for promoting racism and xenophobia after he attacked four Democratic members of Congress, telling them to "go back" to the "places from which they came," Meuser defended Trump and called the bill a baseless attack by Democratic leadership. "I strongly oppose Democrat leadership's latest effort to harass [Donald Trump]. For years, he and his supporters have been subjected to  baseless attacks. Such slander is a disservice to our nation and the American people, and I am tired of it." The tweet from which the quote is sourced contained a video in which Meuser, standing on the House floor, stated "I rise today in opposition of House Resolution 489." In December 2020, Meuser joined over 120 Republican members of the House of Representatives in signing an amicus brief in support of a Texas lawsuit that sought to invalidate Pennsylvania's 2020 presidential election votes. On January 7, 2021, following the storming of the U.S. Capitol building by Trump supporters, Meuser  voted to reject the certification of Pennsylvania's 's electoral votes in the 2020 presidential election. Meuser voted against impeaching Trump on an article of impeachment of "incitement of insurrection" in the aftermath of the attack on the Capitol. In May 2021, Meuser voted against the creation of an independent commission to investigate the January 6 attack. Drugs. Meuser supports President Trump's declaration of the opioid epidemic as a national health emergency. Meuser has proposed a three-pronged approach: supply (by increasing the standards by which prescription opioids are prescribed), harm reduction (by having medication drop off programs in  communities and by incrementing electronic databases for monitoring opioid prescriptions), and recovery (by coordinating efforts to help non-violent drug offenders become rehabilitated as productive members of society). Meuser voted against the MORE Act, which would have removed cannabis from the federal Controlled Substances Act. Guns. Meuser supports an individual right to keep, own, use and carry firearms, earning an endorsement from at least one pro-gun Political Action Campaign. Immigration. Meuser supports President Trump's proposal to construct a wall on the entire border with Mexico. He opposes giving federal funds to sanctuary cities. Meuser has argued that President  Obama's executive order on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) was unconstitutional and supports ending DACA. Additionally, he supports the government cracking down on employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants. Taxes. Meuser believes that school property taxes are un-American and unconstitutional, his campaign stating "no tax should have the power to leave you homeless." Meuser also cites the 14th amendment in arguing that the government has no right to take property away from someone without due process of law or providing equal protections under the law. Meuser signed the "Taxpayer Protection Pledge" sponsored by Americans for Tax Reform . The pledge commits its signers to "oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax rates for individuals and/or businesses ... and oppose any net reduction or elimination of deductions and credits, unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing tax rates". Democratic Elections "(Texas v. Pennsylvania)". In December 2020, Meuser was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives who signed an amicus brief in support of "Texas v. Pennsylvania", a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden prevailed over incumbent Donald Trump . The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of the election held by another state. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement that called signing the amicus brief an act of "election subversion." Additionally, Pelosi reprimanded Meuser and the other House members who supported the lawsuit: "The 126 Republican Members that signed onto this lawsuit brought dishonor to the House. Instead of upholding their oath to support and defend the Constitution, they chose to subvert the Constitution and undermine public trust in our  sacred democratic institutions." New Jersey Representative Bill Pascrell, citing section three of the 14th Amendment, called for Pelosi to not seat Meuser and the other Republicans who signed the brief supporting the suit. Pascrell argued that "the text of the 14th Amendment expressly forbids Members of Congress from engaging in rebellion against the United States. Trying to overturn a democratic election and install a dictator seems like a pretty clear example of that." Veterans. On the issue of veterans and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Meuser supports the Veterans Choice Act, legislation that was passed during the Obama Administration  and extended by Congress during the Trump Administration. The policy allows veterans who face long waiting times at VA facilities or who live over 40 miles away from the nearest VA clinic to seek care in the private sector, and have the cost of that care covered. Political career. Pennsylvania Secretary of Revenue. Meuser was appointed Secretary of Revenue by Governor Tom Corbett after more than two decades in the private sector. The Secretary's primary duties include administration and enforcement of state tax laws, effectively operating within reduced budget climate, collections of over 30 state taxes, setting annual state  budget projections, developing tax policy for the Governor and overseeing the growth and stability of the Pennsylvania Lottery, which generates gross sales of $3.6 billion and net revenue of $1.1 billion annually. The Council On State Taxation (COST) gave PA an A− rating partly due to legislation that Secretary Meuser helped pass as well as the reforms he put into place. Residents of Pennsylvania raised speculation to his appointment by Tom Corbett due to the fact that he was one of the largest contributors in Tom Corbett's 2009–2010 campaign, making a total of 26 contributions totaling $ 76,394. There is concern over a recent $103 million computer modernization system for the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue being performed by Accenture, a global technology consultant which had previously been fired by the state of Maryland for a similar project due to wasteful spending and missed deadlines. In 2010, "Politics Magazine" cited him as a "Former Congressional candidate and northeast PA money man". Philanthropy and boards. Meuser is a board member of the Greater Pittston Chamber of Commerce, sits on the board of trustees for Misericordia University, and is on the board of the Pittston Young Men's Christian  Association. Meuser is a donor to such organizations as United Way, Make-A-Wish Foundation, MS Society, St Jude Hospital, and St. Joseph's Hospital. Personal. Dan Meuser is married to Shelley Van Acker Meuser. The couple has three children. He had previously claimed a home in Kingston Township as his residence, but changed his registration to a home in Dallas two months before the election. The home in Kingston had been drawn into the 8th district after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court threw out Pennsylvania's old congressional map as an unconstitutional gerrymander. According to Meuser, his old home had  been drawn just a mile outside the new 9th's borders. On August 22, 2020, Meuser announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19.