Christopher Deluzio

Judi Mitchell, 78, of Forest Hills, said she’s worried about ensuring ethics across government, if not for her future, for that of her family.

“There’s no moral compass anymore,” Mitchell said.

As the November midterms draw nearer, constituents raised concerns at a campaign town hall hosted by U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Fox Chapel, at the Penn Hills municipal building Monday night.

Trust and ethics in the government, the Supreme Court and elections as well as artificial intelligence were common themes.

Mitchell said she hopes to see the AI industry regulated.

Artificial intelligence industry leaders in the last month have sounded alarms about potential risks to humanity, but Congress has yet put regulations on the books, with President Donald Trump’s stance being that the industry should police itself.

Deluzio said that there needs to be government oversight and that it was “reckless” for House Speaker Mike Johnson to have sent lawmakers home early to campaign despite not tackling regulation.

Regulation would require the U.S. and other countries, including China, to work together, as well as a body to inspect and monitor the industry, rather than self-regulation.

“America has to lead on this,” Deluzio said. “It’s going to have to be bipartisan.”

The event Monday was the first of three across the region, with one scheduled for Oct. 13 in Carnegie and another on Oct. 17 in Beaver Falls.

Reform was on the congressman’s mind at the town hall.

Deluzio, running for his second term to represent District 17, said he wants to see change to campaign finance and super PAC spending, railway safety and partisan gerrymandering. He seeks change to President Donald Trump’s 2025 “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which offered tax breaks to some industries, including data centers.

He said Congress should also be “taking back” power on trade issues regarding tariffs.

His number one priority, he said, is tackling the cost of living, in part by “responsibly” ending the war in Iran and reversing healthcare cuts from Trump’s tax and spending bill.

“That’s just undoing some of the damage,” he said. “Both parties across (decades) bear some responsibility for this.”

Some constituents raised concerns about ethics in regard to the Supreme Court, to which Deluzio said he’s in favor of legislation that staggers justice appointments.

When asked how he’d ensure the reform he wants if Republicans maintain control of the House, Deluzio said he was hopeful the midterms would flip Congress.

Miguel Johnson, 32, of Wilkinsburg, said one of his biggest concerns is making sure senior citizens get the necessary information needed to make a voting plan. Johnson is the vice chair of the Wilkinsburg Democratic Committee.

Jan Kukucka, of Penn Hills, said after the town hall she felt like Deluzio shared the concerns of his constituents.

“(He) touched on many of the aspects of the current state of government,” she said.