Press Releases

Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05) has been named a 2023 Champion for Children by the bipartisan advocacy organization First Focus Campaign for Children. Just 40 members of the U.S. House of Representatives receive this distinction each year. Scanlon has been named a “Champion for Children” each year she has served in Congress.

“With rising costs and threats to healthcare, education, and child nutrition, our children need lawmakers willing to make them a true national priority,” said Rep. Scanlon. “Being named a Champion for Children is an honor I do not take lightly, and I won’t stop fighting in Congress to ensure every vote and every bill prioritizes a brighter future for all children.”

First Focus Campaign for Children’s 2023 Legislative Scorecard ranks members of Congress according to votes and bill sponsorships taken during the first session of the 118th Congress that prioritize the well-being of children in the U.S. and around the world. Read more about the report and find the complete list of winners here. 

"Our nation’s children are in crisis, with child poverty, homelessness, uninsured rates and even mortality rates of infants and children on the rise,” said Bruce Lesley, president of First Focus Campaign for Children. “We are grateful to Rep. Scanlon for working to reverse these trends and for always putting the best interests of children first. We hope this accomplishment will inspire their colleagues to do the same.” 

As Chair of the Congressional Youth Mentoring Caucus and the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth, Scanlon is a leading voice in Congress pushing for policies that keep children safe and provide them with tools for successful futures.

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