Toomey, Casey adjust to new roles
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania's two U.S. senators are beginning the 114th Congress in new places: Democrat Bob Casey in the minority for the first time in eight years, and Pat Toomey in the majority for the first time in four years.
For both, it will change their strategy in how they try to get things done. Toomey, a Republican, sees his leadership's promises to allow amendments as an avenue to getting things done for Pennsylvania.
Casey, a Democrat, will have fewer ideological allies to immediately back his pet legislation, and so hopes to pick up GOP supporters by persuading them that his bills will be popular with voters and help Republicans show they are capable of leading the Senate when the 2016 election rolls around.
Toomey has the added pressure of running for another six-year term while his party is in control of the Senate, but insists he is not thinking much about it.
“I'm not focused on an election still two years away,” Toomey said. “I'm focused on accomplishing everything that I can and frankly I think that good policy is good politics. If I'm doing a good job for Pennsylvania, actively pursuing policies that are good for Pennsylvania families, good for our economy, good for job growth and the incomes of working Pennsylvanians ... then the politics will take care of itself.”
Philosophically, Casey and Toomey tend to be starkly different. Casey is a favorite of labor unions and has supported the major elements of President Barack Obama's agenda. Toomey, a budget hawk who discourages government regulation, is a favorite of free-market purists and business groups who has opposed nearly all of President Barack Obama's agenda.
They will be on opposite sides of the vote if Republicans seek to undo Obama's new immigration and deportation policy or the workweek requirement in Obama's signature health care law.
They both support legislation to force the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, which would carry Canada's tar sands oil across the United States to refineries along the Gulf of Mexico, and they both support the repeal of the 2.3 percent excise tax on medical devices — from pacemakers to tongue depressors, Toomey said — that is helping to fund the expansion of health care under Obama's signature 2010 law.In the meantime, Casey is setting his sights on legislation he thinks will help the middle class. That includes expanding federal funding for early childhood education, increasing the minimum wage, expanding tax breaks for small businesses and pumping more money into infrastructure.Casey dismisses the notion that being in the minority automatically diminishes his effectiveness.He said small groups of Democrats can be particularly persuasive if they are willing to split from their party leadership and side with Republicans to advance legislation.Toomey said he expects greater opportunities for everybody to pursue their pet legislation under a commitment by Republican leaders to allow amendments to legislation.
