The start of 2025 has been rough. Rising prices, reckless tariffs and a stagnating economy have led to more families struggling to pay their bills and local businesses looking at layoffs. Retirement savings are taking a hit as the stock market plummets. Our hospitals and patients are bracing for massive cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, Social Security, Medicare and lifesaving research. Key international allies like Canada, Mexico and Ukraine feel betrayed. The independence and authority of judges and the rule of law both appear to be at risk. And these are just a few of the concerns I have heard from our community.

Americans are feeling less hopeful, more divided and more frustrated with the priorities of leadership from Washington.

On a state level, we are doing everything we can to keep Pennsylvania on track. Gov. Josh Shapiro is leading the charge. When Washington tried to freeze billions in funds to help Pennsylvania families, Gov. Shapiro worked to help unfreeze them so we could get back our tax dollars. The governor also seized a great opportunity to bring talented workers that Washington carelessly discarded to fill vacant positions in our state government.

Our Democratic majority in Harrisburg is working closely with Gov. Shapiro to keep Pennsylvania moving in the right direction. For instance, Washington is trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which raised the number of people with health care protections and insurance coverage to historic rates and saved lives. Recently, my Pennsylvania House Insurance Committee voted to safeguard key provisions of the Affordable Care Act, including my bill with State Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski to keep kids covered under their parents' health care up to age 26. Unfortunately, every Republican member of the committee voted against these common-sense provisions, protecting people from being denied insurance coverage because they have preexisting conditions or because they have reached annual or lifetime limits on insurance coverage.

As Washington slashes the U.S. Department of Education, jeopardizing financial aid and special education, in Pennsylvania we are proposing to make historic investments in education, including over $136 million in additional funding to improve our Philadelphia public schools.

As Washington stalls tens of billions of dollars in affordable housing funds, my colleagues and I passed my bipartisan housing bill with State Rep. Sean Dougherty to increase Pennsylvania's investments in affordable housing by $10 million. This will help older adults, veterans and people with disabilities get access to affordable housing and will also help remove blighted properties to make neighborhoods safer.

While Washington is proposing to slash food aid by cutting SNAP benefits, I am leading a bill with State Rep. Roni Green to give more kids and their families access to these essential benefits so they do not have to go hungry.

And with Washington lawmakers and the White House looking to cut over $880 billion in Medicaid funding, we are working to invest over $2.5 billion to preserve health care for hundreds of thousands of patients and support our hospitals, health care providers and health care workers.

Are you concerned about the direction of Washington? Please call your federal representatives and make your voice heard. You can contact the main U.S. House of Representatives number at 202-225-3121, and the Senate at 202-224-3121. I've communicated frequently with our congressman U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans, who has been very helpful in navigating the chaos. I have also contacted the offices of Sens. John Fetterman and Dave McCormick to express my concerns. You can also download the "5 Calls" app on your phone, which makes it easy to call and even provides a script of what you can tell these officials' staff about various issues.

The collective role of the people is more powerful than the singular role of an elected official because there are more constituents than elected officials. And never forget lawmakers work for you. I believe things will improve, but that won't happen if people do not raise their concerns about the policies that hurt our families.

In the meantime, my Democratic colleagues and I in the Pennsylvania House will continue to do everything we can to protect your rights and preserve and even increase support for the vital programs and services that will make our community a stronger, safer and healthier place.

I remain hopeful and have faith in our country's strength and democracy. As President Abraham Lincoln said over a century and a half ago, our "government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

Khan’s district includes Chestnut Hill, Roxborough and part of Manayunk.