Rob Bresnahan
U.S. Representative, Pennsylvania's 8th District (Scranton and Wilkes-Barre) ยท R-PA-8 ยท ๐ All of Pennsylvania's Republicans
๐จ RINO Alert ๐๏ธ In office
In office since 2025. Unopposed in the May 19, 2026 primary; faces Democrat Paige Cognetti on Nov. 3, 2026.
Signed Democrats' petitions on union rights and Obamacare subsidies, then voted for both.
๐ The short version
Bresnahan signed Democrats' discharge petitions that forced House votes on restoring federal-worker union rights (September 2025), a three-year extension of the Obamacare subsidies (December 2025) and the Faster Labor Contracts Act (petition completed May 2026), and voted for each bill. He also voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill, and President Trump has endorsed him twice, most recently on May 18, 2026. NBC News reported he sold up to $130,000 of Medicaid-related stock a week before the House voted on that bill; he says he never directed the trades.
๐ณ๏ธ How Rob Bresnahan voted on the key votes
3 of 11 votes cast with the Democrats (weighted: 30%). Votes against the MAGA side are listed first.
๐ Other times Rob Bresnahan broke ranks
Recent party-line votes where most Republicans voted one way, most Democrats the other, and Rob Bresnahan joined a small group of Republicans on the Democratic side.
- Jun 4, 2026 On Passage (HR8646): Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agency Appropriations Act, 2027 Voted Nay, one of 5 Republicans ยท Passed Record โ
- Jan 13, 2026 On Passage (HR2262): Flexibility for Workers Education Act Voted Nay, one of 6 Republicans ยท Failed Record โ
- Sep 11, 2025 On Motion to Instruct Conferees (HR3944): Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026 Voted Yea, one of 2 Republicans ยท Failed Record โ
- Sep 10, 2025 On Agreeing to the Amendment (HR3838): Voted Nay, one of 2 Republicans ยท Agreed to Record โ
๐ On the record
- Jul 1, 2025 Voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in early July 2025 after getting answers and assurances from Republican leadership, he said, citing a $50 billion rural health fund. The Times Leader described him as one of the last holdouts. Times Leader (reposted at bresnahan.house.gov) โ
- Sep 2, 2025 Signed discharge petition No. 6 for the Protect America's Workforce Act (H.R. 2550), which would reverse an executive order that ended collective bargaining protections for union workers at several federal agencies. bresnahan.house.gov (official site) โ
- Nov 1, 2025 President Trump endorsed Bresnahan for re-election in a Truth Social post, calling him "a terrific Representative" of Pennsylvania's 8th District. Bresnahan called the endorsement an honor. FOX56 โ
- Nov 20, 2025 NBC News reported he sold up to $130,000 of stock in Centene, Elevance Health, UnitedHealth and CVS Health on May 15, 2025, a week before the House's first vote on Trump's budget bill, which he supported. He said he never instructed his advisors. NBC News โ
- Dec 17, 2025 Signed Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries' discharge petition for a three-year extension of the enhanced ACA subsidies, after Speaker Mike Johnson and other House leaders rejected requests for a floor vote. PoliticsPA reported his signature and Rep. Ryan Mackenzie's were the 217th and 218th. PoliticsPA โ
- May 18, 2026 Trump endorsed Bresnahan again the day before the Republican primary, one of nine Pennsylvania House Republicans he backed; he did not endorse Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick. Just the News โ
- May 20, 2026 A discharge petition for the Faster Labor Contracts Act reached 218 signatures; Littler listed Bresnahan among seven Republican signers. Littler Mendelson โ
โFamilies in NEPA cannot afford to have the rug pulled out from under them. Doing nothing was not an option, and although this is not a bill I ever intended to support, it is the only option remaining.โ
โObamacare has failed to deliver on its promise of lowering insurance costs, and families in NEPA are paying the price. But the only thing worse than a three-year extension of these credits is to let them expire with no solution or off-ramp.โ
โ๏ธ In fairness: their side
Bresnahan says he signed the ACA petition because leaders in both parties failed to reach a bipartisan deal while the credits expired, leaving 28,000 people in his district facing higher costs. He called it "not a bill I ever intended to support" but "the only option remaining," and says he still wants Obamacare fixed. He says he backs federal-worker bargaining because his district has 10,000 federal workers and it is "a cornerstone of fair labor." He says he voted for the Big Beautiful Bill for tax cuts and a rural health fund and that eligible people keep Medicaid. On stock trades, he says he never directed his advisors and supports a ban.
More sources
- Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti to face Rep. Rob Bresnahan in Pennsylvaniaโs 8th District general election Washington Examiner
- Pa. election 2026: Where Bresnahan, Cognetti stand on campaign finance reform, anti-corruption policies Spotlight PA
- Roll Call 332 | Bill Number: H.R. 2550 (Protect America's Workforce Act) Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives
- Roll Call 11 | Bill Number: H.R. 1834 (three-year ACA subsidy extension) Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives
- Roll Call 216 | Bill Number: H.R. 5408 (Faster Labor Contracts Act) Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives