Senator Pat Toomey discusses an alternative to the sequester’s across the board cuts.
“When you have to cut spending it makes sense to cut in the least painful way rather than an arbitrary across the board way.” -Toomey
Sen Pat Toomey Discusses Sequestration On Special Report With Bret Bair
February 27, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Sen. Pat Toomey On The KD/PG Sunday Edition
February 22, 2013 By 1 Comment
Toomey Debt Limit Proposal Shot Down
February 5, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Last Thursday Senator Pat Toomey introduced an amendment to an underlying debt ceiling bill that was intended to resolve the devastating impacts felt by our country if Congress is not able to come to an agreement on raising the debt limit within the next three months. The original bill already gave Congress an extension for the three month period. However, Senator Toomey contested from the Senate Floor, “[My amendment is] an attempt to absolutely minimize the disruption, the danger and the drama, it’s an attempt to get away from ‘government by cliff’ and to have a sensible approach to bringing our spending under control.”
The Toomey Amendment proposed that if Congress was unable to raise the debt limit then the federal government would be able to prioritize what was paid first, focusing on debt obligations such as paying Social Security and salary for active duty military personnel. The amendment was voted down in a strict party line vote seeing every Democrat voting to table the amendment and every Republican in favor of it.
Below is video from the floor speech Senator Toomey gave.
Senator Toomey Term Limits
February 2, 2013 By 2 Comments
Recently Senator Pat Toomey introduced a bill proposing a constitutional amendment creating term limits for Congress. His proposal would restrict members of the House to 6, years and members of the Senate to 12 years. Toomey stated, “Congress should not be a body of career politicians who have forgotten why they were sent to Washington in the first place. We are here to do the people’s work, to solve the problems we face, and to leave to our children a stronger, safer, more prosperous nation. I am pleased to cosponsor a Constitutional amendment to enact term limits for both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to see this through.”
Toomey has long been a proponent of term limits, holding to the pledge he made himself back in 1998 when he choose to contest then Senator Arlen Specter in a Republican primary in 2004 rather than seeking another term in the house.
Click here to read more on Senator Toomey’s proposed amendment
Toomey Earmark Elimination Bill
February 2, 2013 By 1 Comment
In recent months, I have read various stories in Lancaster newspapers with great interest pertaining to the state of our economy. I recognize that our economic issues are complex with many contributing factors, and we did not get into this position overnight. With recent issues such as the fiscal cliff debate, the role of the federal government and how it can impact our economy’s improvement has come into focus. I am encouraged to see the actions of fiscally responsible members of Congress like those of Senator Pat Toomey.
Sen. Toomey, taking a proactive approach in providing guidance on fiscal issues, introduced a bipartisan amendment with Senator Claire McCaskill called The Earmark Elimination Act. This amendment would have expanded the temporary moratorium on earmarks and made it permanent creating a point of order on any piece of legislation introduced with earmarked spending that would require a two thirds majority to override.
While earmarks are not the sole factor contributing to overspending, they have had a corrosive impact. Senator Toomey explained, “For years, earmarks played a significant role in fueling the overspending in Washington, currying favor with lobbyists and special interests, and undermining the integrity of our legislative process. My colleagues in Congress cannot credibly talk about cleaning up Washington if we do not get rid of earmarking for good. We cannot afford to allow Congress to resume this practice and play pork-barrel politics with taxpayer dollars.”
Unfortunately, the bill received strong opposition from congressional members reluctant to end the wasteful earmarking process. As fiscal policy is shaped in the coming months and years, Senator Toomey will continue to be a strong conservative voice that is willing to work in a bipartisan manner in order to do what is right for Pennsylvania and for the entire country. I support his continued leadership bringing transparency, accountability, and fiscal responsibility to the process.
*This post was originally a Letter to the Editor sent into Lancaster Online
Click here to see Senator Toomey’s Press Release
Click here to Senator McCaskill’s Press Release
Click here to see a video with Senator Toomey discussing the bill
Sen. Toomey discusses bipartisan Earmark Elimination Act with Neil Cavuto
January 25, 2013 By 1 Comment
Sen. Toomey discusses bipartisan Earmark Elimination Act with Neil Cavuto
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) reintroduced legislation today to ban a process that, for years, permitted members of Congress to direct taxpayer funds to their home regions for questionable projects without any hearings or scrutiny. Thanks in part to the efforts of Sens. Toomey and McCaskill to end the practice, the previous Congress instituted a voluntary moratorium on earmarks. The bipartisan Earmark Elimination Act would expand the temporary moratorium on earmarks and permanently ban earmarks from the legislative process.
Unfortunately, a number of congressional members are reluctant to end the wasteful earmarking process that forced taxpayers to fund such pet projects as the infamous “Bridge to Nowhere.”
The Earmark Elimination Act would:
· Permanently ban all earmarks.
· Define earmarks as any congressionally directed spending item, limited tax benefit, or limited tariff benefit.
· Create a point of order against any legislation containing an earmark. The point of order would only apply to the actual earmark, rather than to the entire bill.
· Require a two-thirds vote to waive the point of order.
Senators Toomey and McCaskill’s bill is supported by Citizens Against Government Waste, the Club for Growth, Heritage Action, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, FreedomWorks, and Ending Spending, Inc.
“Now is the time to pass a permanent ban on earmarks,” Sen. Toomey said. “For years, earmarks played a significant role in fueling the overspending in Washington, currying favor with lobbyists and special interests, and undermining the integrity of our legislative process. My colleagues in Congress cannot credibly talk about cleaning up Washington if we do not get rid of earmarking for good. We cannot afford to allow Congress to resume this practice and play pork-barrel politics with taxpayer dollars.”
Said Sen. McCaskill, “In my fight against pork-barrel spending on pet projects by Congress, we’ve made a lot of progress. We’re changing the culture of Congress to one where members are judged based on how much taxpayer money they save, not how much they spend. Now, while we’re focused on cutting wasteful spending, is the time to make our temporary ban on earmarks a permanent ban on earmarks and guard against the return of this practice.”
Sens. Toomey and McCaskill are no strangers to the fight against wasteful earmarks. They led the charge two years ago to rein in earmarks, resulting in a temporary, two-year moratorium. Today, they are continuing to champion this cause on behalf of American taxpayers as they seek to eliminate earmarks for good.
Sen. Toomey Discuss the Debt Limit
January 24, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Sen. Toomey discusses higher education in Erie
January 21, 2013 By 1 Comment
