AFT Pennsylvania delegates voted unanimously to endorse Robert P. Casey for a third term as U.S. Senator.
"Senator Robert P. Casey has been described many ways: Mild-mannered, centrist, bipartisan and unassuming, are among the words supporters and critics have used in the past," Ted Kirsh said. "Who would have imagined that our former auditor general would be dubbed a 'firebrand' and 'the new face of the political resistance'?"
But that’s what has happened since Donald Trump declared climate change “a hoax”, Russian meddling the election “fake news” and held a White House garden party to celebrate a detestable GOP health care bill that will cost 23 million Americans their health insurance and would be the single largest transfer of wealth to the wealthiest Americans.
AFT Pennsylvania members have always known Senator Casey as a friend – a friend of education, a friend of working men and women and a champion of the most vulnerable among us – children, the disabled, veterans, and seniors.
AFT Pennsylvania members were not surprised when President Trump tried to enact a “Muslim travel ban,” that Bob Casey left a fund-raising gala at the Academy of Music and, wearing his tuxedo, sped to Philadelphia International Airport to protest the travel ban and negotiate for the release of detained migrant travelers.
Kirsch said: "We were not surprised when Bob Casey became one of the first U.S. senators to announce he would vote against the confirmation of Neil Gorsuch – who has sided more often with big corporations than workers or disabled Americans.
"We knew that we had been backing the right person when Senator Casey became one of the first senators to point out that the GOP’s American Health Care Act, which rolls back Medicaid expansion, would devastate every one of our school districts by slashing Medicaid funds used to pay for services for special education and disabled students – pushing that responsibility to the state and to local taxpayers."
Bob Casey believes that “all public service is a trust, given in faith and accepted in honor.”1 Since he was elected to the United States Senate in 2006, he has worked to create family sustaining jobs and foster financial security for Pennsylvania families; protect our children and invest in their futures; ensure safety at home and respect for America abroad; promote honesty and accountability in government; preserve the dignity of the vulnerable of all ages among us; and advocate for his constituents and help them solve problems they face.
Senator Casey has established a record of results on behalf of the people of Pennsylvania. He was the prime Senate sponsor of landmark legislation for individuals with disabilities, the Stephen Beck Jr. Achieving a Better Life Experience Act (ABLE). ABLE will allow millions of families across the United States to save for the long term care of their loved ones with a disability in a tax-advantage savings account. The Associated Press hailed this legislation as “the most important new law for [those with disabilities] in 25 years.” Senator Casey believes that people with disabilities have a lot of ability and we must give those with disabilities the tools to succeed in the workforce and to live a full life.
As concerns arose across the nation about the dangers of campus sexual assault, Senator Casey took action and passed into law the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act. The Campus SaVE Act requires uniform reporting standards for sexual assaults on college campuses and requires schools to provide clear guidelines to students on their sexual assault policies. The new law also emphasizes steps schools can take to educate students and help prevent sexual assault.
"At every opportunity, Senator Bob Casey has defended us – our schools and colleges, our students and our union rights. Make no mistake, the Republicans are coming for Bob Casey’s Senate seat in 2018. But Senator Casey, let me assure you that you have friends in Pennsylvania," Kirsch said.