Pennsylvania lawmakers laud, slam Trump's State of the Union speech along party lines

U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey credited President Donald Trump with setting “an optimistic and ambitious agenda for the future” in Tuesday night’s State of the Union speech, which cited goals such as eradicating the AIDS epidemic, curing childhood cancer and planting the first flag on Mars.

Toomey, a Lehigh Valley Republican, said in statement that Trump “deserves a lot of credit for advancing pro-growth policies” that have meant “bigger paychecks for blue-collar workers,” while also combating terrorism and “holding Iran to account for its hostile actions.”

Sen. Bob Casey, a Scranton Democrat, derided the GOP at the close of Trump’s speech for “pursuing a corporate agenda that gives obscene tax cuts to the super-rich, rips health care away from millions and shortchanges our children.”

“I heard nothing in tonight’s speech that leads me to believe the year ahead will be any different,” Casey tweeted shortly after 10:30 p.m.

The pair of Pennsylvania senators echoed the party-line reactions of fellow Democrats and Republicans around the country.

Social media comments and news releases reflected the palpable tension exhibited between Republicans and Democrats at the event in Washington, with the speech beginning by Trump apparently snubbing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s handshake and culminating with Pelosi ripping up a copy of Trump’s speech on national television.

.@POTUS: "We are Americans. We are pioneers. We are the pathfinders. We settled the new world, we built the modern world, and we changed history forever by embracing the eternal truth that everyone is made equal by the hand of Almighty God." #SOTU ??

— John Joyce (@RepJohnJoyce) February 5, 2020

Since the #SOTU is for outlining our national priorities, I’m calling on the President to end his support for the obscene lawsuit to repeal the ACA and instead work with Democrats to expand access to health care and protect people with pre-existing conditions. #StateofHealthCare

— Senator Bob Casey (@SenBobCasey) February 4, 2020

Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Peters, said the Trump administration is helping to “fuel an energy renaissance for Pennsylvania oil, natural gas and coal production, and industries like plastic manufacturing that go with it.”

“Under his leadership, Pennsylvanians are benefiting from a red-hot economy that has led to tremendous new opportunities,” Reschenthaler said in a statement.

Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Butler, lauded Trump’s line made after referencing restrictions on abortions and more support for families with children such as affordable child care and paid maternal and paternal leave: “Whether we are Republican, Democrat or Independent, surely we must all agree that every human life is a sacred gift from God,” Trump said during the speech.

“We must stand for life and defend the rights of the unborn,” Kelly tweeted in response.

Kelly also celebrated Trump’s statements that Pennsylvania’s number of drug overdose deaths related to the opioid crisis have dropped by 18%.

“But unlike so many before me, I keep my promises!” -@POTUS @realDonaldTrump

— Rep. Mike Kelly (@MikeKellyPA) February 5, 2020

In the Democratic rebuttal, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer accused Trump’s speech of being loaded with “dishonesty” while calling on voters from all political parties to collaborate for change that improves the lives of everyday people.

“We and all Americans might be weary of today’s politics, but we must stay engaged. Our country, our democracy, our future demand it,” Whitmer said. “We’re capable of great things when we work together.”

Whitmer balked at Trump’s claims that the nation’s economy is stronger than it’s ever been for all Americans, arguing that people such as teachers and small business owners continue to struggle to make ends meet.

“It doesn’t matter what the president says about the stock market, what matters is millions of Americans struggling to get by,” she said. “Wages have stagnated while CEO pay has skyrocketed, so when the president says the economy is strong, my question is, strong for whom?

“… If the economy doesn’t work for working people, it just doesn’t work,” she said.

I heard nothing in tonight’s speech that leads me to believe the year ahead will be any different. #SOTU

— Senator Bob Casey (@SenBobCasey) February 5, 2020

One issue that Democrats, Republicans and Trump seemed to agree on: prescription drug costs must come down.

After Trump pledged to “go after Big Pharma” and urged Congress to put a bipartisan bill on his desk, Democrats began chanting, “HR 3!” in reference to a bill they say would do just that.

Whitmer lamented in her rebuttal that the bill and many others that aim to make life more affordable for the working class have been “gathering dust on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s desk.”

“Sen. McConnell, America needs you to move those bills,” she said.

Here’s the truth about Trump’s failure to protect pre-existing condition coverage.

Please share it like your life depends on it... because many lives do. https://t.co/WQXmPThg3k

— PA Democratic Party (@PADems) February 5, 2020

Toomey reiterated Trump’s opposition to so-called “sanctuary cities” and pushed legislation he’s sponsoring “to help put an end to sanctuary city policies once and for all.”

And he backed Trump’s call to support charter schools and the school choice movement, which Toomey says “is facing unprecedented opposition in Pennsylvania.”

Incredible moment for Janiyah Davis and her mother, Stephanie. Very much support President Trump’s decision to make #schoolchoice a major piece of this year’s #SOTU. https://t.co/5fxaCg0Qmb

— Senator Pat Toomey (@SenToomey) February 5, 2020

Earlier in the day, Pennsylvania state House Speaker Mike Turzai said he will fight against Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposal to slash funding for charter schools and cyber charters, including by setting a statewide cyber school tuition rate.

We fight for students like Janiyah. We can have thriving public school districts, public charter schools, and private and parochial schools available for our kids & parents. Competition raises the quality of each, ensuring that the needs of every student and family are being met. https://t.co/nVrKIr4jXL

— Speaker Mike Turzai (@RepTurzai) February 5, 2020