 |  | | Taking Your Questions | | I stopped by the studios of CBS 3 in Philadelphia in order to take some questions from folks on Facebook. It was helpful to hear their concerns and share my thoughts on the news of the day, such as health care reform, the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee probe of Russian activities, the confirmation of Betsy DeVos. If you missed this forum and would like to check it out, please click on the picture above. | | |  | | Fighting Back Against
Anti-Semitic Threats | | I had the opportunity to sit down with Jewish leaders from the Delaware Valley last week to discuss recent anti-Semitic threats that were made in the area and across Pennsylvania. Anti-Semitic acts and crimes based upon a person's religion are heinous and intolerable and I am proactively working to address the issue. In fact, my United States Senate colleagues and I sent a letter urging the leaders of the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, and the FBI to launch a full investigation into recent anti-Semitic threats that have been made against Jewish Community Centers, Jewish Day Schools, and other institutions across Pennsylvania and the country. | | |  | | Meeting with Pennsylvanians | | It's been a busy year thus far in the United States Senate. In addition to a full legislative agenda, I've also been meeting with constituent groups in both Washington and Pennsylvania. Specifically, over the past few weeks, I have had the opportunity to meet with people and groups such as: - Pennsylvania representatives from the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America in order to discuss our joint goal of opposing Russian aggression against Ukraine;
- Jim Smith (Shippensburg Area High School) and Morgan Vincent (Rocky Grove High School) who are Pennsylvania's representatives participating in the U.S. Senate Youth Program;
- Leadership from fire departments across Pennsylvania to talk about how the Senate can best assist firefighters in their efforts in support of public safety; and
- Members of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard to discuss where we can partner to ensure that the National Guard has what it needs to accomplish its missions both domestically and abroad
| | |  | | Now Accepting Applications for Federal Judicial Vacancies | | Since 2011, Senator Casey and I have worked to confirm 14 qualified jurists to fill district court vacancies on the federal bench. This is more than every other state except California and Texas during that time. And I am pleased that we will continue our bipartisan agreement to ensure that the most capable, knowledgeable and ethical candidates become federal judges serving Pennsylvania. Currently our offices are accepting applications for judicial vacancies in both Pennsylvania's Eastern and Western district courts. Persons interested in being considered for an appointment should email the address corresponding to their district: Eastern District: judgeappEDPA@toomey.senate.gov and/or judicial_nominations@casey.senate.gov Western District: judgeappWDPA@toomey.senate.gov and/or judicial_nominations@casey.senate.gov The deadline for applicants to submit the completed Senate Judiciary questionnaire in both the Eastern and Western District is no later than April 10, 2017 at 8:00 am. | | |  | | Standing with Our First Responders | | Last Thursday, I teamed with Senator Casey, Senator Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), and Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) to re-introduce the Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship Act. When chaos and destruction come, our law enforcement officers, firefighters, and other first responders run into the breach, risking their own safety in order to save lives. Too often, they make the ultimate sacrifice. We owe our first responders and their families a debt of gratitude we can never repay. This bipartisan bill makes one small contribution to caring for the family they left behind, ensuring their children are able to receive an education. Under this measure, if a child of a first responder killed in the line of duty qualifies for any amount of Pell Grant aid, they would automatically be granted the maximum amount of assistance authorized by law (currently $5,815 per year for a full-time student). | | |
