Smarter Approach to Energy
With energy prices soaring and the cost of imported oil spinning out of control, Melissa believes Congress must address this issue. Melissa supports ecologically safe drilling for new supplies of oil in ANWR and off our coastlines to help make us less dependent on foreign oil. more…

Fighting for the Unborn
Melissa is committed to protecting the culture of life and during her time in Congress took the lead on a number of successful pro-life initiatives. more…

Keeping our Families Safe and Secure
Protecting our children and families from harm is of the utmost importance to Melissa. When Melissa first ran for Congress she promised to pass legislation modeled on her successful state legislation that protected children from emailed Internet pornography. more…

Standing Up For Sportsmen
The sporting culture is a large part of the rich tradition of our region. Melissa firmly believes that the Second Amendment guarantees an individuals right to own and use firearms. more…

Reforming Earmarks
The spending bill approved by Congress at the end of 2007 contained more than 11,000 earmarks for pet projects including $100,000 for signage in Los Angeles' fashion district and $250,000 for a wine and culinary center in Washington. Melissa is committed to putting the brakes on earmarks for pet projects like these. more…

Lowering Taxes
Melissa understands that citizens know how to spend and save their money better than the government does. While in Congress, Melissa supported successful efforts to lower the tax burden for hard working families. more…

Helping Families Save for College
With a college education more important than ever in securing a good job, but with college costs continuing to rise, Melissa addressed this issue by providing families with important tools to save for college. more…

Ethics
In recent years members of Congress on both sides of the aisle have exhibited behavior that has resulted in the loss of confidence of the American people. As a member of the House Ethics Committee, Melissa saw firsthand the problems with a Congress that refuses to remove members who violate the peoples' trust. more…

Defense
Today we face new threats around the globe generations before us did not have to worry about. Melissa supports a strong national defense. This can only be achieved by providing our service men and women with the resources they need. Intelligence agencies must be given the appropriate resources to keep us safe. more…

Supporting Our Veterans
Without our veterans and active military we would not enjoy the freedoms Americans too often take for granted. Melissa is a dedicated advocate for our veterans. The Fourth Congressional District is home to more than 58,000 veterans, all of whom have sacrificed for our country. more…

Increasing Access to Health Care
Rising health care costs are a concern of businesses, individuals and families all across Western Pennsylvania. Melissa knows that a one size-fits-all health care system run by the government is not the answer. more…

Stopping Illegal Immigration
The issue of illegal immigration is in the newspaper headlines on a daily basis, yet the current Congress has failed to act to advance legislation that would combat the problem of illegal immigration. Melissa believes addressing the issue of illegal immigration is critical to our national security. more…

Bringing Good Jobs to Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvanians should not have to leave home to find jobs and opportunity elsewhere in the country. We can only reverse that trend by continuing to encourage economic development here. Melissa has a longtime commitment and record of success in fighting for jobs in Western Pennsylvania. more…