Pennsylvania — 2nd District

After a dozen years working his way up the congressional ranks, the incumbent is poised to become chairman of the powerful Budget Committee, which shapes national economic and tax policy.

U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle is a rare breed amid the dysfunctional Congress controlled by a spineless Republican majority that kowtows to President Donald Trump.

Boyle is actually serious about the business of governing.

He works at legislating, rarely misses a vote, can talk lucidly about policy, understands the complexities of the sprawling federal budget, and represents his constituents with honor and decency.

That is why The Inquirer Editorial Board endorses Brendan Boyle for another term.

Boyle, 49, has been in Congress for 12 years. He has kept his optimism through the grind of division, but don’t underestimate his toughness. Born and raised in Olney, he is the son of a SEPTA janitor and a school crossing guard.

Amid Trump’s cruel deportation crackdown, Boyle’s path shows the fruits of immigration. His father emigrated from Ireland, and his mother is a first-generation American whose parents also came from the Emerald Isle.

Boyle is the first in his family to go to college. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame and earned a master’s in public policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Boyle’s blue-collar roots and book smarts have served him well. He was elected to the Pennsylvania state legislature in 2008, pulling off an upset to become the first Democrat to represent his Northeast Philadelphia district — a Republican stronghold that is also home to many police and firefighters.

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If Democrats take control of the House in November, Boyle will become chairman of the Budget Committee. No one from Philadelphia has held that powerful post since the late William H. Gray III in the late 1980s.

The budget chair wields major influence in drafting the budget and is the primary negotiator with the Senate and White House on spending issues. The high-profile platform shapes national economic and tax policy.

Boyle has worked his way up through the congressional ranks, mastering the intricacies of the budget. He routinely gets calls from colleagues asking him to explain obscure budget issues.

It is not glamorous work, but it is increasingly important in a Congress in which too many members from both parties focus mainly on social media hits.

Boyle strives to find common ground, but is not afraid to call out the incompetence, cruelty, and corruption of Trump — or the laziness of U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, a fellow Pennsylvania Democrat. Boyle’s focus on substance over style offers a life preserver in a sea of congressional silliness.

The incumbent has also consistently delivered for Philadelphia. He has secured billions in federal funding for a variety of projects, including transit, education, cancer research, workforce development, and the Chinatown stitch.

The Center for Effective Lawmaking at the University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University named Boyle the most effective member of Pennsylvania’s delegation in the 118th Congress.

Boyle’s commonsense approach to kitchen table issues stands apart from the current Budget Committee chairman, U.S. Rep. Jodey Arrington. The MAGA Republican from Texas steered the passage of Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, which piled on more tax cuts for the rich, drove up the ballooning deficit, and slashed healthcare benefits for millions of Americans.

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Arrington is an election denier who is retiring this year, which is good news for America considering former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy called him “incompetent.”

Boyle’s opponent in November is Jessica Arriaga, a North Philadelphia native and Latina Christian evangelical who espoused positions that conflict with science and her own Republican Party.

In a meeting with the Editorial Board, Arriaga said she believes the COVID-19 vaccine — which prevented millions of deaths — is something “people should have never taken.” But in her next breath, she said she supported “free healthcare.”

While her personal story is compelling and her desire to help her community seems genuine, Arriaga struggled to convey a coherent vision or grasp of basic issues facing voters.

By contrast, Boyle mapped out a clear agenda if Democrats take control of Congress. He plans to focus on affordability issues and fight back against the Trump policies that resulted in higher prices. He has been at the forefront in fighting the GOP’s massive cuts to healthcare and wants to reform the debt-ceiling provisions that lead to wasted battles over government shutdowns.

Boyle said a Democratic majority could also provide much-needed oversight into destructive policies and pocket lining by Trump and his allies.

Philadelphia is fortunate to have a dedicated congressman in Brendan Boyle. He deserves another term in which — with a Democratic majority — he can make a major impact.

Editorials express an opinion about a matter of policy or public interest that has been researched and written by our Editorial Board, a group of journalists separate from the newsroom. Unlike news stories, which are fact-driven and written by reporters, editorials advocate, champion, argue, critique, and offer solutions. Editorials are not intended to dictate what readers should think, but to cut through the noise of polarized debate and provide a catalyst for elevated discourse.

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The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Editorial Board is made up of writers and editors who work independently from the newsroom and offer an informed viewpoint on important issues of the day.

The Inquirer Editorial Board — which operates independently of the newsroom — interviews candidates, researches the issues, and debates vigorously before recommending who would best serve the public.

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