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Ray Bilger brings one of the more interesting challenges Congressman Glenn "GT" Thompson has faced in his 10 campaigns for Congress.
Bilge served 10 years in the U.S. Air Force and spent four decades as a foreign affairs analyst, a position that included policy formation and strategy, geopolitics, high-level national security strategy. It's an interesting background for a candidate running a campaign during a period where foreign entanglements are having an impact on domestic life for many Americans. While we think Bilger is a stronger candidate than many that Thompson has faced in the past, we still endorse Thompson to return to Congress for a 10th term.
Thompson has shown himself to be a positive presence in Warren County, which can frankly be difficult in a district as large and diverse as the 15th Congressional District, which spans 18 largely rural counties. That means agriculture is an important part of the job, and Thompson earning the role of chair of the House Agriculture Committee places him in a position to exert influence on policies that can help farmers in his district, including those in Warren County. And, Thompson has worked the levers of Congress to help advance the Allegheny Valley Veterans Center, a wonderful project in Clarendon that is improving the lives of homeless veterans throughout the region.
But perhaps the biggest reason to elect Thompson is his background in health care. As we see rural Pennsylvania struggling to hold on to services provided in community hospitals, or in cases like Bradford to hold on to their hospitals at all, rural Pennsylvanians need Thompson's background as a nursing home administrator to shine through in advancing federal policy that protects health care in rural Pennsylvania. Bilger advocates for a reinvention of the health care system in the long term and, in the short term, legislative policies that make health care more affordable and accessible. That leaves a lot open to interpretation. Thompson is clear that he wants to increase the use of telemedicine in rural areas, and wants to remove social, economic and geographic barriers that keep people from accessing health care. That, too, leaves a lot open to interpretation.
Thompson hasn't given Warren County residents a reason not to return him to Congress, but developments in health care over the past two years are concerning for rural Pennsylvanians – and we need our representative in Congress to push harder for policies that help keep rural hospitals afloat and increase access to health care providers. It's a concern we're sure Thompson is hearing across the expansive 15th Congressional District, and it's a concern we hope he pushes to help resolve if he is returned to Washington, D.C., for a 10th term.