On Saturday afternoon, media availability, Senator Bob Casey Jr. spoke on a variety of topics, including his legislative achievements, his performance on behalf of Pennsylvania, and commenting on his Republican opponent Dave McCormick.
“I am running for the United States Senate again to continue to advocate for the people of Pennsylvania,” said the three-term Scranton resident. “I have a lot of experience delivering services to our state, especially over the last few years where you’ve seen the investments we’ve made in children and families and high-speed internet. We were able to limit the cost of insulin to $35 per month for Medicare Part D beneficiaries and pass the PACT Act to ensure that veterans at risk of toxic burns have health care assistance and benefits.”
He continued by stating that there is still much work to be done, and winning battles is a major part of that.
“I think part of that execution is winning fights here in Washington on major policy issues. “Whether it’s protecting our democracy and voting rights, protecting women’s rights, protecting workers’ rights, they are critical to the work I want to continue.”
Casey also reminded listeners that McCormick, his GOP challenger, does not live in Pennsylvania, and he also recalled that he has financial backing from billionaires in the form of support for cutting their taxes.
“I think Pennsylvanians understand that when you have a candidate like that… (you) can’t trust him to side with workers; be on the side of families; and stand on the side of the weakest. He made it clear which side he was on. He is on the side of big corporations.”
Casey actually commented on the issue in a New York Times op-ed on Friday questioned McCormick’s story about growing up in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania.
“It was quite a stunning article,” he said. “Once again, this was an indication that he was misleading the citizens of our state. He repeated over and over again, throughout 2022, throughout 2023 and early 2024, that he lived in Pennsylvania. And he doesn’t do it.
“We now know that his statements about how he grew up and where he actually lived in the Bloomsburg area were also misleading. So I think this is another indication that he doesn’t seem to understand what Pennsylvania families expect from elected officials and candidates. It’s simply telling the truth about basic things about where you live and how you grew up. There are many reasons to be proud of the way he grew up.
Casey criticized the Republican Party for preventing Congress from enacting bipartisan border security policy.
“Every agreement has been blown up by one side, the Republican Party,” he said. Speaking about the latest bid, Casey added that “this was the toughest border security bill in probably 25 years. And it was abandoned because MAGA Republicans didn’t want to solve the problem. They just wanted to have a problem.
“They just wanted to play politics during the elections. So we have an ongoing crisis at the border and we had a chance to solve it and they just refused.”
Casey did not commit to an endorsement Rep. Summer Lee facing a difficult, major challenge Bhavini Patel in PA-12.
“Summer and I don’t agree on everything,” Casey said. “It’s clear. I have already presented my position on her candidacy in 2023. Voters now have a chance to make their decision in the Democratic primaries and we will see what the result will be.”
He also said there appears to be support for passing a foreign aid bill for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
“This certainly could not be a more critical moment for efforts to stop Vladimir Putin,” the senator said. “This should be the goal of every member of Congress – both parties, both chambers. You can help the people of Ukraine by providing humanitarian aid, but also to the people of Gaza. And then finally help Taiwan fend off predatory China. This is therefore a critical moment not only for the country, but also for the security of the world. I hope that the House will quickly consider this issue today and that we can vote on it in the Senate as soon as possible.”
