Newsletter Archive

Working Tirelessly to Lower Your Taxes This week, the Senate Finance Committee passed the Tax Cut and Jobs Act. Next stop: The Senate floor. I am very excited about the product we now have. Hardworking families I represent in Pennsylvania are going to benefit from this bill in two ways. First, they're going to owe less to Uncle Sam because this bill will cut their taxes.... Read More

Pennsylvania: Home to Heroes Veterans Day is a time for us to reflect and pay tribute to all of the brave men and women who have bravely put their countrymen ahead of themselves. Not only is Pennsylvania currently home to nearly one million veterans, but our Commonwealth has marked its place in history with generations of brave individuals answering the call to duty. From... Read More

Pennsylvania Voices for Tax Reform Since being elected to the Senate, I've repeatedly heard that our tax code is too complex, too burdensome, and not competitive. We now have an amazing opportunity and responsibility to pass tax reform that will generate a direct pay raise for hard working, middle, and lower income taxpayers when we lower the direct tax burden. It also... Read More

My Thoughts on the Las Vegas Mass Shooting What happened in Las Vegas was a tragedy and the work of a madman. My deepest condolences and prayers are with the victims, their families, their friends, and the city of Las Vegas. Among those whose lives were senselessly cut short was Bill Wolfe Jr. of Shippensburg. He was a beloved husband, coach, and figure in the community. I... Read More

An Amazing Opportunity for Tax Reform This week, the Senate, House, and administration unveiled a unified framework for tax reform. I see this as an amazing opportunity and responsibility. Enacting legislation consistent with this framework will allow us to achieve the growth that we've been waiting so long to achieve. There's nothing normal about two percent growth for... Read More

A Path Forward on Tax Reform I am pleased to announce that this week, Budget Committee Chairman Mike Enzi, Senator Bob Corker, and I agreed to a path forward on tax reform. I am confident our budget agreement will give the Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over tax legislation, the headroom needed to write a pro-growth tax plan that reforms the code, causes the... Read More

My Message on Tax Reform: Think Big In case you missed it, I recently spoke to Salena Zito of the Washington Examiner to discuss how tax reform would impact people in their daily lives. Congress has the opportunity to enact truly meaningful tax reform for the first time in decades. Every single problem in America is easier to solve with a thriving economy. In fact, some... Read More

Speaking Directly With You On Thursday, I joined PBS 39 in Bethlehem for my 75th town hall or public forum since being first elected to the Senate, taking questions from Pennsylvanians both in the room and across our Commonwealth. Just a few of the topics of discussion were civility in politics, addressing the threat North Korea poses, and pro-growth tax reform. I always... Read More

Racism and Bigotry Have No Place Here This past week our nation was rocked by tragedy in Charlottesville, VA. The acts we saw were a horrifying reminder that there are still those who seek only to divide us. The racism, hatred, and violence seen in Charlottesville were vile and unacceptable. I am disgusted by white nationalists, white supremacists, and neo-Nazis and... Read More

Fixing Our Tax Code is Just Good Business I recently met with some local business leaders at a roundtable hosted by the Chamber of Business & Industry of Centre County. Among the issues we discussed was the importance of tax reform for businesses across the state. The misguided policies of the last eight years have given us the weakest recovery since the Great... Read More

The Time For Tax Reform is Now In an ever-changing global economy, it is imperative that the United States stay as competitive as possible to attract and retain employers. Unfortunately, the American people and our businesses are saddled with a tax code that restricts growth, hampers prosperity, and burdens those it is supposed to help. That's why I'm a forceful advocate... Read More

We Cannot Lose Sight of the Facts on Health Care   The Senate's recent endeavors to begin repealing and replacing Obamacare were not successful. I am disappointed with this setback on efforts to fix our broken health care system. Let us not forget, Obamacare is still failing. In Pennsylvania, Obamacare premiums are up 120 percent and 40 percent of our residents are... Read More

Reality Check: Obamacare is Still Failing Obamacare is failing. In Pennsylvania, Obamacare premiums are up 120 percent and 40 percent of our residents are limited to one insurer on the exchange. Families are still in dire need of relief. Meanwhile, Medicaid is fiscally unsustainable as its costs continue to grow faster than our economy. I intend to vote to proceed to a... Read More

Preserving Medicaid for Generations to Come On Thursday, the Senate Budget Committee released a revised version of the Better Care Reconciliation Act, making changes based on input from key stakeholders and the public. While the bill is imperfect and additional changes are expected, the updated draft prevents Obamacare's imminent collapse and retains essential reforms... Read More

Setting the Record Straight on Health Care Obamacare is collapsing. Premiums and deductibles have skyrocketed and forty percent of all Pennsylvanians on Obamacare's exchanges have a grand total of one insurance provider from which to choose. Now is the time to replace Obamacare with a consumer-driven system that makes care more affordable and accessible. The draft Senate... Read More

Health Care Reform: Moving Forward The draft Senate health care bill, the Better Care Reconciliation Act, is not perfect, but it is a positive step toward repairing the damages caused by Obamacare. The bill also puts Medicaid on a sustainable fiscal path so this vital safety net is available for future generations. Introduction of the draft bill was just the beginning of... Read More

A Good Start on Health Care Reform Obamacare is failing Pennsylvanians. As taxes, premiums and deductibles continue to skyrocket, choices and access to care have dwindled. The draft bill unveiled in the Senate on Thursday strikes me as an important and constructive first step in repealing Obamacare and replacing it with a better, stable, consumer-driven health care system... Read More

Russia and Iran: No Friends of Ours This week, the Senate voted to impose new sanctions on the governments of Iran and Russia. Iran remains the foremost state sponsor of terrorism in the world, and continues to foment instability across the Middle East and North Africa. This regime is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Americans and still holds innocent Americans... Read More

Meeting America's Future Leaders Last Tuesday, I had the honor of speaking at the Laurel Highlands Council Eagle Scout Recognition Dinner in Pittsburgh. I truly believe America is the most generous nation in the world. That generosity manifests itself in many ways: some choose to make quiet donations to worthy causes; others give the gift of time or talent to service... Read More

Reinvigorating Our Economy The Trump Administration released its budget proposal for 2018 this week. Pro-growth tax reform, rolling back excessive regulations, balancing the federal budget, and cutting government duplication and waste are important goals that the Trump budget embraces. I support the broad goals of the Trump budget, but there are particulars with which I... Read More