Marc Fogel painting by artist Clare Mears Stefanini

A bipartisan push made Thursday, Jan. 23, by members of Pennsylvania’s Congressional delegation urges Secretary of State Marco Rubio to bring Butler native Marc Fogel home from Russia, where he’s been detained since Aug. 2021.

Republican Sen. Dave McCormick, Democratic Sen. John Fetterman and 11 members of the Pennsylvania House delegation, including Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th, sent a letter to Rubio on Thursday that asked him to prioritize Marc Fogel’s release after briefly congratulating him on his new role.

“The Russian Government’s outrageous treatment of this American teacher is a clear effort to use Marc as a political pawn to exert leverage on the United States,” the letter read. “It must not stand.”

McCormick brought up Fogel’s case during Rubio’s confirmation hearing just weeks ago, at which point Rubio expressed that he’d support bringing Fogel home.

The U.S. government designated Fogel as “wrongfully detained” in October — news that his family shared in December.

In the letter, the members of Congress said more than three harrowing years into Russia’s 14-year sentence of Fogel, he remains expelled to a high-security penal colony without a clear path home. They said Moscow has rejected the state department’s requests for his release on humanitarian grounds, and that his health is deteriorating badly.

“For years, I have met with the Fogel family and advocated for Marc’s safe and swift return to the United States,” Kelly said in a news release Friday. “The Russian government has targeted Americans, including Marc, and used them as political pawns.

“I look forward to working with President Donald Trump and Secretary Rubio to reunite Marc with his family in Western Pennsylvania. The Fogel family, especially his 95-year-old mother, (Malphine) deserves to see Marc again.”

During Rubio’s confirmation hearing Jan. 15, McCormick specifically asked Rubio whether he would make Fogel’s freedom a top priority. Rubio called Fogel’s case “ridiculous,” and that the Russian government was trying to use Fogel as political leverage.

“As I told Marc’s mom, Malphine, when we spoke in August, we must do everything possible to get Marc home,” McCormick said in the Friday release. “I’m proud to stand with my Pennsylvania colleagues in solidarity of Marc and his family, with the strongest desire to secure his release.

“The Russian government has used Marc as a political pawn for too long, and we look forward to working with President Donald Trump and Secretary Rubio to finally bring Marc home.”

The cause to free Fogel and reunite him with his family has remained a bipartisan cause, particularly with politicians in Pennsylvania.

“Marc Fogel is a good man who made a mistake, and now he's facing an inhumane sentence in a notoriously brutal Russian prison. Over the past two years, I’ve fought relentlessly to bring Marc home, and I’m not stopping until we get it done,” Fetterman said in the release. “This letter is proof that Pennsylvanians, regardless of party, are united in bringing Marc home.

“I’m proud to stand with my new colleague, Sen. McCormick, in calling on Secretary Rubio to take bold, decisive action to make that happen.”

The letter requested that Rubio do everything in his power to bring Fogel home. This includes resubmitting requests every month for representatives in the U.S. embassy in Moscow to visit Fogel, arranging medical visits to externally evaluate Fogel’s physical and mental condition, and to offer regular engagement between the state department and Fogel’s family.

The letter urges Rubio to use his influence in ensuring Russian officials approve any requests.

It has been about 3.5 years since Fogel was detained at Sheremetyevo Airport for carrying about half an ounce of medical marijuana in his luggage, which was prescribed to treat chronic back pain.