On The Ground After Amtrak Tragedy

My heart goes out to the families of those who were killed and those injured in the train derailment in Philadelphia Tuesday night. It was a terrifying tragedy but thankfully the city's dedicated first responders went quickly to the scene and were able to free some passengers from the wreckage and provide medical help. I appreciate their ongoing efforts.

In addition to reaching out to Amtrak and the National Transportation Safety Board, my office has been and continues to be in contact with Mayor Nutter and Governor Tom Wolf.  I visited the site of the derailment on Wednesday with Senator Casey to receive updates from local, state, and federal officials.

Considering the importance of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor for many Pennsylvanians, I am urging a thorough investigation so we can determine what led to this terrible crash and what can be done to prevent such tragedies in the future.

You can watch coverage from my visit here and here.

This week is National Police Week -- a time to show our support and appreciation for the brave men and women who put on the uniform each day to protect us. Recently, I visited the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. to pay my respects to our fallen officers, especially Pennsylvania State Trooper Corporal Bryon Dickson. Corporal Dickson was killed last year in the line of duty, and his name was recently etched into the stone at this important memorial. You can see his name in the photo above, just above my hand.

Our police men and women are dedicated public servants who put their lives on the line every day in the name of serving and protecting. Our police have incredibly difficult and important jobs to do. I am grateful for our law enforcement officials, and next time you see a police officer, I encourage you to thank him or her.

You can watch my video address on National Police Week here.

This week, I spoke at a press conference hosted by Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) to call for an end to wasteful government spending. We have made progress in the last few years, and more in the last few weeks, including passing legislation that balances the budget in nine years. I also introduced bipartisan legislation earlier this year to permanently end earmarks.

I will continue to work toward a government that is more effective and more accountable. My efforts to rein in spending and reduce deficits will put our country on a sustainable fiscal path, grow the economy, and help create jobs. We need a government that does not burden future generations with massive debts and is also accountable to those who pay the bills - the taxpayers.

You can read more about this press conference here.

On Monday, I visited the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. I met with Dr. Carl June, M.D., a professor of immunotherapy. The work he is doing at UPenn is groundbreaking. His research is producing some astonishing results by harnessing the body's immune system to rid patients of their cancer.

Senator Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) was in Philadelphia and joined me on campus. I was proud to show my colleague the state-of-the-art facilities and research being done in our state.

I met with a group of women this week dedicated to public service. We discussed ways we can work together to ensure our communities continue to grow and thrive, and I updated them on the many accomplishments of the Senate so far this year including passing a balanced budget, the Keystone pipeline, the Clay Hunt Veterans Suicide Prevention bill, and a long-overdue bipartisan fix for Medicare's payment formula for doctors.

I got the chance to meet with representatives from the Pennsylvania Asian Indian Community from Central Pennsylvania. It was a beautiful day, and one of the participants told me he wants to run for office!

I sat down with folks from A Second Chance - an organization dedicated to strengthening and preserving healthy families for children.

On Tuesday, American Conservative Union Chairman Matt Schlapp presented me with ACU's Award for Conservative Achievement.