Happy Father's Day to you all! Received this e-mail today from Joe Sestak's (D. PA) U.S. Senate campaign:
Sen. Toomey says one thing in Pennsylvania, and then does another with his votes in Washington, D.C. Let's take a look.
On the left, below, we have what Sen. Toomey says in Pennsylvania, from his June 19 newsletter. On the right is what he does when he gets to Washington, D.C.
Here's a few other things Sestak has been hitting Toomey on:
Toomey Not Telling the Truth in Attempt to Hide Abysmal NIH Record
Toomey Tells Philadelphia Inquirer He “Does Not Sign Letters to Appropriations Committees,” But Has Sent Multiple Letters to Appropriations Committees
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 18, 2015
Washington, D.C. – Yesterday the Philadelphia Inquirer reported on the medical and economic benefits to Pennsylvania that come from National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding. Sen. Toomey, who has voted against annual NIH funding three times in the Senate, was not telling the truth about his actions in order to hide his failure to fight for needed medical research resources.
According to the article, “On March 27, a mixed-party group of 54 senators sent a letter to the chair and vice chair of two key senate committees urging a ‘strong commitment’ to NIH funding.” When Toomey was asked why he did not sign the letter, “Toomey spokeswoman E.R. Anderson said he does not sign letters to appropriations committees.”
This is unfortunately untrue. Here are just three examples of letters Toomey has signed to appropriations committees:
1. June 6, 2011 Press Release from Sen. Pat Toomey:
“U.S. Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) sent a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee asking the committee to consider a multi-year procurement strategy for the V-22 Osprey program starting in fiscal year 2013 rather than a single-year procurement.”
Available at: http://www.toomey.senate.gov/...
2. August 18, 2011 Press Release from Sen. Frank Lautenberg:
“With bipartisan support from 19 Senators, Lautenberg and Kirk sent a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee urging that the 'Lautenberg Amendment' be extended as the Committee prepares to consider legislation to fund the State Department and foreign operations.”
“The letter was also signed by … Patrick J. Toomey (R-PA).”
Available at: https://votesmart.org/...
3. June 23, 2014 Press Release from Sen. John Thune:
“U.S. Senator John Thune (R-South Dakota), today led a number of his colleagues in sending a letter to Senators Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies…”
“Thune was joined in his letter by … Pat Toomey (R-Pennsylvania).”
Available at: http://www.thune.senate.gov/...
But worse than what was said is what was not said. After putting forward a false excuse for why Toomey failed to sign the letter, he said through a spokesperson that he “supported the omnibus funding bill in December 2014 that increased funding for NIH.”
While Toomey did indeed vote for funding in December 2014, he failed to mention that he:
1. Voted against $30.1 billion in NIH funding the 2014 budget.
2. Voted against $29.1 billion in NIH funding the 2013 budget.
3. Voted against $30.8 billion in NIH funding in the 2012 budget.
4. The NIH budgets that Toomey voted against included National Institute on Aging funding for Alzheimer’s disease research. For example, Toomey:
a. Voted against about $566 million in the 2014 National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget for Alzheimer’s disease funding, including an unprecedented $122 million increase. The increase included $4 million to train health professionals on issues related to Alzheimer’s disease, $3.3 million for Alzheimer’s under the Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion and $14.7 million Alzheimer’s disease prevention, education and outreach.
b. Voted against $524 million in NIH funding for Alzheimer’s disease research in 2013 and $1 million in funding for the Department of Justice’s Missing Alzheimer’s disease Patient Alert Program in 2013
c. Voted against $503 million in NIH funding for Alzheimer’s disease research in 2012 and $1 million for the Department of Justice’s Missing Alzheimer’s disease Patient Alert Program in 2012
d. Voted against Alzheimer’s disease NIH funding for programs in the National Institute of Aging. This includes funding for 40 projects that are part of the Alzheimer’s disease Translational and Drug Discovery Initiative, and clinical trials for drugs that will help people with Alzheimer’s disease such as ones that attempt to delay memory loss.
5. The NIH budgets that Toomey voted against included funding for cancer research and prevention such as:
a. National Cancer Institute (NCI) programs
b. NIH National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Laboratory of Immunology, which focuses on basic genetics, molecular biology, cell biology and cellular immunology of the immune system
c. NIAID Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Transplantation (DAIT), which studies how the immune system functions on a healthy basis and also explores what causes abnormal immune disorders
d. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development programs, such as intramural research, which focuses on the effects pediatric cancer has on a child’s development
For more information, contact:
Danielle Lynch
610-505-5861
danielle.lynch@joesestak.com
And this:
Toomey Silent on Climate Change as Pope Francis Outlines Clear Scientific Consensus
Toomey Continues to Stand By His Fringe Science-Denial
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 18, 2015
Washington, D.C. – For too long, Sen. Toomey has refused to acknowledge the clear connection between human activity and climate change, even as Pope Francis highlights the issue by saying that “the bulk of global warming” is caused by human activity.1
In 2010, Toomey asserted that the science is “still very much disputed, and it’s been debated.”2 And earlier this year, Toomey voted against an amendment that stated that humans significantly contribute to climate change.3
Pope Francis, who has a chemistry degree, recently wrote an encyclical that stated, “Plenty of scientific studies point out that the last decades of global warming have been mostly caused by the great concentration of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxide and others) especially generated by human action,” according to the Washington Post.4
And yet, Toomey has supported other bills in the past that deny this connection. For example, he:
Co-sponsored and voted for an amendment, which essentially repeals the Clean Air Act and all EPA rules regarding “any other substance subject to, or proposed to be subject to, regulation, action, or consideration … to address climate change”
Co-sponsored legislation which prohibits the regulation of greenhouse gas emissions to address climate change
Co-sponsored legislation which would amend the Clean Air Act to prohibit the Administrator of the EPA from promulgating any regulation concerning, or taking action relating to the emission of a greenhouse gas (GHG) to address climate change
Pennsylvanians deserve a Senator who makes decisions based on informed facts – not partisanship.
For more information, contact:
Danielle Lynch
610-505-5861
danielle.lynch@joesestak.com
Sources:
1. http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
2. WITF, 10/4/10
3. http://www.senate.gov/...
4. http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
There's also this:
Toomey Continues Promoting his Heath Care Plan to Repeal without Replacing
Toomey Wants to Gut Medical Device Tax, but Offers no Alternative Source to Fund Pennsylvanians' Health Care
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 17, 2015
Washington, D.C. – Sen. Toomey is yet again calling to repeal a portion of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) without proposing any replacement whatsoever.
At the same time, Toomey is misleadingly saying that “We have had bipartisan support of repealing the medical device tax,” but he fails to recognize Democrats who support repeal only when there is a replacement funding.
This is a significant difference because what Toomey really wants to do is dismantle the ACA. If the medical device tax is repealed – but not replaced – significant funding for the ACA ends, beginning the dismantlement of health care for 1.4 million uninsured Pennsylvanians1 who now have access to health care through the ACA Exchange and about 600,000 to 800,000 Pennsylvanians’ access to Medicaid expansion under the ACA.2
If the tax is repealed, there needs to be a realistic replacement for the $30 billion revenue gap it would otherwise create for the ACA. Toomey wants no replacement – undermining the ACA – while the bipartisan support for such an effort does want a replacement.
For example, Toomey on his official Facebook page touted an editorial board article in the Lehigh Valley Express-Times as supporting his effort for full repeal, but failed to mention that the editorial concluded by saying, “Congress should repeal this tax and include some deficit-plugging help in the process.”3
Toomey must stop misconstruing the facts in an attempt to appear moderate.
At the same time, Toomey’s claim the tax has been harmful to the medical device industry has to be weighed beside the considerable financial benefit the medical device industry received through the ACA providing access to medical devices for millions of new health care customers –16 million so far.4
Furthermore, while a replacement might very well be prudent, the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service (CRS) noted last year that the tax will have “fairly minor effects” on the medical device industry “with output and employment in the industry falling by no more than 0.2 percent.”5
Toomey should make it clear that his actions in Washington, D.C., to repeal – but not replace – the medical device tax would hurt hundreds of thousands Pennsylvanians if the ACA is chipped away.
The ACA has helped 5.5 million non-elderly Pennsylvanians, including approximately 700,000 Pennsylvanian children with pre-existing conditions.6
About 4.5 million Pennsylvanians, including 1.7 million women and 1.1 million children, no longer have to worry about lifetime limits on their coverage.7
The ACA also expanded mental health and substance use disorder benefits and federal parity protection to 2.2 million Pennsylvanians.8
For more information, contact:
Danielle Lynch
610-505-5861
danielle.lynch@joesestak.com
Sources:
1. http://kff.org/...
2. http://www.commonwealthfoundation.org/...
3. http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/...
4. http://aspe.hhs.gov/...
5. http://www.modernhealthcare.com/...
6. http://www.hhs.gov/...
7. http://www.hhs.gov/...
8. http://www.hhs.gov/...
And of course, this:
Toomey Should Show More Support for Seniors on Elder Abuse Awareness Day
Toomey Says He Cares About PA Seniors but Votes Against Them in Washington, D.C.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 15, 2015
Washington, D.C. – Today marks World Elder Abuse Awareness Day and it’s unfortunate that some politicians, including Pennsylvania’s own Sen. Toomey, have voted against protecting our senior citizens’ physical, financial and mental well-being.
Toomey has failed to protect our senior citizens from abuse, as the below comparison shows:
Pennsylvanians deserve a Senator who stands by senior citizens on a consistent basis.
For more information, contact:
Danielle Lynch
610-505-5861
danielle.lynch@joesestak.com
Now here's what Sestak's been up to:
If you would like to donate and get involved with Sestak's campaign, you can do so here:
http://joesestak.com/