News Releases

Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), member of the National Security Working Group and former Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs, released a statement following the passing of former Israeli President Shimon Peres: “Shimon Peres, a Founding Father of the State of Israel, was the consummate public servant, leader and fighter for the people of Israel. In a world too often driven by conflict, Shimon Peres...

Washington, DC- U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) introduced legislation that would work to improve health outcomes for pulmonary hypertension (PH) by advancing medical research and improving care for PH patients.  S. 3361, the Pulmonary Hypertension Research and Diagnosis Act of 2016, would ensure that the federal investment in research is directly leading to prolonged life and improved quality of life for PH patients, while working to lower health care expenses for patients with PH, such as...

Washington, D.C. — The Senate Finance Committee today advanced the ABLE to Work Act and the ABLE Financial Planning Act – two bills sponsored by Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) and Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) aimed at enhancing ABLE accounts. The ABLE to Work Act builds on the success of the ABLE Act by making it possible for people with disabilities who work to save an additional amount in an ABLE account without risking loss of benefits. The ABLE Financial Planning Act will allow...

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) releases a statement following passage of the Miner’s Protection Act of 2016 by the Senate Finance Committee. “The Senate Finance Committee’s passage of the Miner’s Protection Act of 2016  is an important step forward for this legislation and most importantly to guarantee coal miners and their families, through no fault of their own, don't lose their health coverage or pension. This effort has been about ensuring that...

Washington, D.C. – At a time where truck-crash deaths are rising, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) is calling on his colleagues in Congress to do more to increase truck safety. Truck drivers’ often drive for hours without much-needed rest and recovery, and their rest breaks are increasingly in jeopardy due to funding in Congress. In the FY17 THUD appropriations bill, there are policy riders that will roll back “hours of service” (HOS) rules that were implemented to give...

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), a member of the national security working group,  released a statement following the finalization of a memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Israel. “I welcome the finalization of this historic agreement, which represents a transformational investment in our bilateral defense relationship with Israel.  In February, I traveled to Israel where I heard directly from leaders including PM Netanyahu and senior officials in...

“Fighting the Financing of Terrorism” As prepared for delivery  Thank you to the Council on Foreign Relations for this opportunity, and thank you, Michael, for moderating our discussion. This conversation is especially timely as we approach fifteen years since terrorists attacked our country on September 11, 2001.  At that time, the United States had a fundamentally different understanding of terrorist groups, their ideologies, and their operations.  Although we had...

Washington, D.C. – Today, as we celebrate Women’s Equality Day, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) and Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) are sending a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) requesting they undertake a study of gender-based price discrimination in the market for goods and services. The letter seeks to shine a light on why price disparities exist and why they tend to be burdensome for women. A December 2015 study by the New York City Department of...

On August 15, 2016, Aetna announced that they are scaling back their participation in the Affordable Care Act marketplace. This decision means that Aetna will no longer sell individual marketplace plans in 11 states, including Pennsylvania. This does NOT affect individuals with plans outside the marketplace, such as Medicare enrollees or individuals with individual or group insurance purchased outside of the marketplace. Aetna will cease participating in these states in 2017. Consumers who are...

North Wales, PA – Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) sat down with local elected officials and several municipal administrators to discuss ways to help the communities in Bucks and Montgomery Counties who have been affected by the perfluorinated compound (PFC) contamination in their drinking water. The contamination, caused by fire-fighting foam used at military installations, has led to thousands of families exposed to unsafe drinking water. Following the meeting, Casey sent a letter to...

PHILADELPHIA, PA – Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey, along with his Senate colleagues, are announcing support for Secretary Julian Castro and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in their efforts to combat unfair nuisance ordinances that affect victims and survivors of domestic violence. Following ongoing efforts by Casey to address the issue that ousted a Montgomery County, PA woman from her rental department after multiple complaints of nuisance violations caused by...

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has awarded $1,137,744 to the Wilkes-Barre City Fire Department for hiring as part of the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program. “Pennsylvania’s first responders risk their lives every day for our communities by answering the call for help,” Senator Casey said.  “SAFER...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) and Senate Democrats released a new letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan urging the Republican leaders to immediately call Congress back into session to pass emergency funding legislation to address the growing Zika crisis. Since Republican leaders shuttered both chambers of Congress for a seven-week recess – the longest in 60 years – without passing legislation to help stem the...

Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) released a statement after President Obama signed the Global Food Security Act: "With President Obama's signature, the Global Food Security Act is now the law of the land. I've worked on this legislation for years because it helps the world's most vulnerable and enhances American security by promoting stability in parts of the world experiencing challenges. The GFSA will ensure Feed the Future, which has helped improve nutrition for 12 million...

WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) today joined 14 of his colleagues in sending a letter to President Obama urging the Administration to work with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to encourage additional transparency when reporting on Iran’s nuclear program. The IAEA is responsible for monitoring and verifying Iran’s compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action (JCPOA) reached by the P5+1 and Iran last year. “We supported the JCPOA and...

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) released the following statement before departing for recess on the Senate Republicans inaction on funding needed to inforce CARA legislation. “Last year in Pennsylvania, deaths by opioid overdoes jumped to 3,383 people from 2,742 – sons, daughters, father, mothers, neighbors. The crisis of opioid addiction gripping our nation knows no bounds; it impacts families everywhere, from cities, to suburban communities to rural...

WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey voted against the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill because it needlessly and inexplicably struck a Casey authored provision, the Saracini Aviation Safety Act.  The Saracini Aviation Safety Act would have required new commercial aircraft to include a secondary safety barrier to protect pilots from terrorist attacks and disruption, such as the 9/11 hijackings.  The bill honors Bucks County Captain Victor Saracini, pilot...

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) released the following statement for the record on on the JCPOA with Iran: Mr. President, this week we are marking the one-year anniversary of the signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. This week, one year ago, my colleagues and I began the enormous task of reading, analyzing, and making a decision about whether or not we would support the deal. For me, that task took six weeks of careful study, several classified briefings, countless...

Scranton, PA - U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) released the following statement on priorities for the NATO Summit in Warsaw, Poland: “As NATO leaders meet in Poland today, it is critical that they prioritize discussions of Ukraine’s security and economic stability in the face of Russian aggression.  Ukraine is facing enormous challenges. I welcome the steps the Government of Ukraine has taken to address issues in their political and judicial systems, as well as their economy, even...

SCRANTON, PA – U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) is releasing the below statement following the shootings in Dallas: “Today our nation is in mourning following last night’s horrific shooting in Dallas that took the lives of 5 police officers and injured 9 others. Although more information on these shootings is forthcoming, it is clear that this was a planned and cowardly ambush specifically directed at law enforcement officers who take risks every day to keep our streets safe. It...