This is a 100% volunteer effort brought to you by a handful of progressive Democrats and Independents who share a vision of an informed electorate.  Thank you to the Demcast and Pennsylvania Indivisible organizations who host our report and help us share it with Commonwealth residents!

Indivisible Scorecard

The Indivisible movement is focused on four key principles – equality, justice, compassion and inclusion. Accordingly, we score legislation that reflects those values:

• Ballot access, voting rights, campaign finance and ethics
• Civil rights, equality under the law and addressing systemic inequities
• Reinforcing and strengthening democratic norms, processes, and oversight
• Addressing economic inequality

This week we scored the Senate GOP filibuster of the Freedom to Vote Act.

Lawmaker	Score	Change from last score
🔵 Senator Bob Casey	100.0%	0%
🔴 Senator Pat Toomey	21.7%	-3.3%
🔴 PA-01’s Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick	43.1%	No change
🔵 PA-02’s Rep. Brendan Boyle	100.0%	No change
🔵 PA-03’s Rep. Dwight Evans	100.0%	No change
🔵 PA-04’s Rep. Madeleine Dean	100.0%	No change
🔵 PA-05’s Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon	100.0%	No change
🔵 PA-06’s Rep. Chrissy Houlahan	100.0%	No change
🔵 PA-07’s Rep. Susan Wild	100.0%	No change
🔵 PA-08’s Rep. Matt Cartwright	100.0%	No change
🔴 PA-09’s Rep. Dan Meuser	3.2%	No change
🔴 PA-10’s Rep. Scott Perry	0.0%	No change
🔴 PA-11’s Rep. Lloyd Smucker	7.7%	No change
🔴 PA-12’s Rep. Fred Keller	3.1%	No change
🔴 PA-13’s Rep. John Joyce	3.1%	No change
🔴 PA-14’s Rep. Guy Reschenthaler	3.1%	No change
🔴 PA-15’s Rep. Glenn W. Thompson	7.9%	No change
🔴 PA-16’s Rep. Mike Kelly	3.1%	No change
🔵 PA-17’s Rep. Conor Lamb	100.0%	No change
🔵 PA-18’s Rep. Mike Doyle	100.0%	No change

Votes of Interest

The Senate GOP Filibusters Voting Rights… Again

Senate Vote on Motion to Invoke Cloture, Motion to Proceed to S. 2747: Freedom to Vote Act

This week the Senate GOP filibustered the start of debate on the Senator Joe Manchin-developed Freedom to Vote Act. This is one of those moments when Rachel Maddow described the situation far better than we MoCTrack amateurs ever could, so let’s turn to the transcript of the 10/20/21 The Rachel Maddow Show:

…today`s vote, it was not The For the People Act. The For the People Act effectively died this summer at the hands of Joe Manchin. Senator Manchin said he just simply couldn`t vote for a voting rights bill that didn`t have any Republican support. No matter what was in the bill, as a matter of process, any voting rights legislation had to be bipartisan. Since Senator Manchin is also against changing the filibuster rules in any way, even for protecting the democracy, his stance on this meant that a voting rights bill would have to get ten Republican votes, which he insisted was possible.

Senator Manchin said he had a plan, the problem according to Senator Manchin was not that just Republicans were obstructing this for the sake of obstructionism, not that they were wholesale against any projection for voting rights, he said it was simply that this For The People Act was the wrong bill. The Democrats who had written it, had written it wrong, was too broad, too partisan, somehow. It was written in such a way that it was [un]appealing to Republicans. But that was fixable….

…He told reporters this summer, quote, I`ve been working across the aisle with all the Republicans trying to get people to understand that that`s the bedrock of our democracy and accessible, fair, and basically secured voting. Just earlier this month, he told reporters, quote, we`re negotiating with Republicans in good faith. We`ll see what happens.

Well, today, in the Senate, it was his bill. It was Joe Manchin`s wrote voting rights bill, which he wrote specifically because he knew Republicans would vote for it. That was a bill for that was up for the vote. This was the bill that he insisted Democrats get behind, even though they don`t like a lot of what was in it, because he said voting rights had to still be bipartisan, and it should be bipartisan, and this was a bill that could Republican votes. Now, not a single Republican vote today, for this bill, not one…

…As I said, I can only assume that Senator Manchin is shocked by this outcome. After all this negotiation across the aisle, no Republicans would vote for even the bill he specifically crafted, saying that, he was writing it in order to get their support.

…And so, there really is only one pathway left, to get any kind of votes rights protection to get past. And that is to change the filibuster, the Senate rule, the filibuster rule, so that it doesn`t require 60 votes to pass something that`s about voting rights. So that Democrats can pass it with a majority of the Senate, without needing ten Republican votes and 60 votes altogether.

Vote date: Wednesday, October 20, 2021 Vote Tally: 49-51

Party Breakdown: In our 50-50 Senate, this number probably looks strange to readers, as it means A Democrat voted against debating the bill.  That’s true, but it’s also not the whole picture.  The NO vote from a Democrat came from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, but he had a very specific reason for doing so.  Let’s turn to page 19 of the document “Standing Rules of the Senate” to get an answer.

So it is not that Chuck Schumer did not want to vote to begin debate on the voting rights bill.  Instead, he had to vote with the “winning side” in order to be able to place a motion to reconsider, or to bring the bill up again for another vote in the near future.

Speaking of that future, the leaders of our Indivisible National organization have a script for you, if you’d like to make a final round of calls to our senators, now that we are in the filibuster end-game.  This is our last shot at getting this done for it to have any chance of stopping voter suppression in 2022 and beyond.

Bob Casey voted YES.

Pat Toomey voted NO.

Additional Reading:

• “After Senate Republicans Block Voting Rights Legislation, the Filibuster Is Back in the Crosshairs,” from Time
• “One More Voting Rights Filibuster Will Soon Cause A Final Showdown In The Senate,” from The Huffington Post
• “Biden Is Open to Scrapping Filibuster for Voting Rights Bill ‘and Maybe More’,” from The New York Times

The House Refers Steve Bannon to the DOJ for Contempt of Congress 

House Vote on H.Res. 730: Recommending that the House of Representatives find Stephen K. Bannon in contempt of Congress for refusal to comply with a subpoena duly issued by the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol

Vote date: Thursday, October 21, 2021 Vote Tally: 229-202

Party Breakdown: All democrats voted YES, and they were joined by nine Republicans, including 

🔴 PA-01’s Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick. The 202 NO votes were all from Republicans.

Additional Reading:

• “House votes to hold Trump ally Steve Bannon in criminal contempt for defying subpoena,” from CNN Politics
• “House asks DOJ to criminally prosecute Trump adviser Steve Bannon for refusing to comply with Jan. 6 committee,” from NBC News
• “Garland: DOJ will follow ‘facts and the law’ in Bannon contempt referral,” from ABC News

The House Passes Protections for Nursing Mothers in the Workplace

House Vote on H.R. 3110: Providing Urgent Maternal Protections (PUMP) for Nursing Mothers Act

From the Library of Congress summary of this bill:

This bill expands workplace protections for employees with a need to express breast milk. Specifically, it expands the requirement that employers provide certain accommodations for such an employee to cover salaried employees and other types of workers not covered under existing law. Further, time spent to express breast milk must be considered hours worked if the employee is also working. The bill also extends from one year to two years the available time period for such accommodations. Additionally, before making a claim of liability against an employer, an employee generally must first notify the employer that they are not in compliance and provide them with 10 days to come into compliance with the required accommodations.

Vote date: Friday, October 22, 2021 Vote Tally: 276-149

Party Breakdown: All 217 Democrats who voted placed YES votes.  They were joined by 49 Republicans (just under 30% of the caucus), including Pennsylvania GOP members 🔴 PA-01’s Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, 🔴 PA-09’s Rep. Dan Meuser and 🔴 PA-16’s Rep. Mike Kelly.  All the 149 NO votes came from republican lawmakers.

Additional Reading:

• “House passes biz-backed bill adding protections for nursing moms,” from Reuters
• “House passes bill to expand workplace protections for nursing mothers,” from The Hill
• “House passes bill expanding nursing mother workplace accommodation requirements,” from the Washington Examiner via Yahoo News

Judicial Confirmations

Editor’s Note: There is very little information about judicial nominees/confirmed judges that cannot be found in the recaps provided by the most excellent source, The Vetting Room. MoCTrack will be relying solely on their content for most judicial confirmation recaps from now on.

Judicial Confirmation – 1st Circuit Court of Appeals 

Senate Confirmation Vote on Gustavo A. Gelpi to be United States Circuit Judge for the First Circuit

Key quotes from The Vetting Room profile of Gustavo Gelpi:

• “Gustavo Antonio Gelpi Jr. was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico on December 11, 1965.  Gelpi received a B.A. from Brandeis University in 1987 and his J.D. from Suffolk University Law School in 1991.  After graduating, Gelpi spent two years as a law clerk for Judge Juan Perez-Gimenez on the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico before joining the Office of the Federal Public Defender in Puerto Rico.”
• “[In 2006] Gelpi was nominated by President George W. Bush to the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico, replacing Judge Hector Laffitte.  Gelpi was unanimously confirmed by the Senate on July 20, 2006.”
• “Gelpi has served as a judge for twenty years, including five as a U.S. Magistrate Judge and fifteen as a U.S. District Court Judge.”

Vote date: Monday, October 18, 2021 Vote Tally: 52-41

Party Breakdown: All Democrats and Independents present voted YES.  They were joined by four Republicans – Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Rick Scott of Florida, Susan Collins of Maine, and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.  All the other 41 Republicans present voted NO.

Bob Casey voted YES.

Pat Toomey voted NO.

Judicial Confirmation – New Jersey

Senate Confirmation Vote on Christine P. O’Hearn to be United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey

Key quotes from The Vetting Room profile of Christine O’Hearn:

• “Christine P. O’Hearn received a B.A. from the University of Delaware in 1990 and a J.D. cum laude from Temple University School of Law in 1993.”
• “O’Hearn has spent her entire career at Brown & Connery, where she worked primarily in labor and employment litigation, while also taking some cases involving negligence and professional liability matters.”
• “As a private practice attorney with plenty of experience in federal practice, O’Hearn is a conventional, if a bit safe, choice for the federal bench…  there is little in her experience or background that is likely to draw controversy.”

Vote date: Tuesday, October 19, 2021 Vote Tally: 53-44

Party Breakdown: All Democrats and Independents present voted YES.  They were joined by three Republicans – Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.  All the other 45 Republicans present voted NO.
Bob Casey voted YES.

Pat Toomey voted NO.

Judicial Confirmation – Washington

Senate Confirmation Vote on Tana Lin to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Washington

Key quotes from The Vetting Room profile of Tana Lin:

• “Tana Lin was born on September 16, 1966 in Taiwan, and her family immigrated to the United States when she was three years old… Lin received a B.A. from Cornell University in 1988 and a J.D. from New York University Law School in 1991.”
• “After graduating, Lin worked as a public defender in Washington D.C. for four years before joining the Employment Litigation Division with the U.S. Department of Justice.  In 1999, Lin moved to Chicago to be a senior trial attorney with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.”
• “She has also served on the Board of Directors for the ACLU of Washington since 2016 and as President since 2019.”

Vote date: Thursday, October 21, 2021 Vote Tally: 52-45

Party Breakdown: All Democrats and Independents present voted YES.  They were joined by three Republicans – Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.  All the other 45 Republicans present voted NO.

Bob Casey voted YES.

Pat Toomey voted NO.

Bureaucratic Confirmations

Editor’s note: now that we are almost a year into the Biden Administration, almost all of the major bureaucratic positions have been filled. Many of the positions filled are getting down well past the deputy level, MoCTrack is going to provide slightly less information about these confirmations. These lower level bureaucrats are not often covered in traditional media, so we are left with only press releases and less reliable sources for information. Where possible, we will use the Whie House or departmental releases for biographical information about these new administration team members.

Bureaucratic Confirmation – Treasury  

Senate Discharge Motion Vote on Brian Eddie Nelson to be Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Crimes

A few months back in an explainer segment, MoCTrack discussed how rare it was to have a full Senate vote on a motion to discharge to get a stalled nomination out of committee. But this 50-50 Senate is not a normal place, and we once again saw a full vote on a motion to discharge a nomination to a bureaucratic position. This is now the tenth Biden nominee who has needed a motion to discharge to get to the floor for a full confirmation vote in the Senate.

According to Reuters, this move has nothing to do with the nominee himself, but is instead about a single Senator trying to invoke any pressure he can on the President for a completely unrelated topic.  They report:

Republican Senator Ted Cruz’s efforts to halt a Russia-to-Germany gas pipeline, blocking critical appointments when the federal debt limit remains a pressing issue, White House officials and Democrats in Congress say.

Only four confirmed nominees are in place in the top ranks of the Treasury, of about 20 slots for presidential picks, officials say. More than eight months after Democratic President Joe Biden took office, his nominees across the government are being approved at a slower rate than the past three presidents, federal data shows.

Vote date: Tuesday, October 19, 2021 Vote Tally: 50-49

Party Breakdown:  This was a party line vote, with all Democrats and Independents voting YES and all Republicans present voting NO.  Missouri’s Roy Blunt was not present for the vote, so the presence of Vice President Kamala Harris was not needed to break a tie.

Bob Casey voted YES.

Pat Toomey voted NO.

Bureaucratic Confirmation – Education 

Senate Confirmation Vote on Catherine Elizabeth Lhamon to be Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Department of Education

From the White House press release announcing the nomination of Catherine Llamon: “Catherine Lhamon is Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of the Domestic Policy Council for Racial Justice and Equity, where she manages the President’s equity policy portfolio.  Until January 2021, she chaired the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, to which President Obama appointed her in 2016, and served as Legal Affairs Secretary to California Governor Gavin Newsom.  Before then, Lhamon was Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the Department of Education, to which President Obama nominated her and the Senate confirmed her in 2013.  Lhamon has also litigated civil rights cases at National Center for Youth Law, Public Counsel Law Center, and the ACLU Foundation of Southern California.  Lhamon taught federal civil rights appeals at Georgetown University Law Center in the Appellate Litigation Program and clerked for the Honorable William A. Norris on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.  Born in Virginia and raised in California, Lhamon graduated from Amherst College and Yale Law School.  Lhamon and her husband and two daughters are transitioning between California and Maryland.”

Vote date: Wednesday, October 20, 2021 Vote Tally: 51-50

Party Breakdown: This party line vote, requiring the tie-breaking services of Vice President Kamala Harris, was not unexpected after the motion to discharge vote taken earlier this month to get this nomination out of committee. All Republicans voted NO, while all Democrats and Independents voted YES.
Bob Casey voted YES.

Pat Toomey voted NO.

Votes under Suspension of the Rules 

Some bills are so uncontroversial that the leadership of both parties coordinate to bring the bills up under a suspension of the rules – that means that debate and amendments are limited, but the bill needs a ⅔ supermajority to pass.  These 14 bills were brought up under a suspension of the rules this week.

🗳️ House Vote on H.R.1029 – Free Veterans from Fees Act

From the Library of Congress summary: “This bill waives the application fee for any special use permit solely for a veterans special event at war memorials on land administered by the National Park Service in the District of Columbia and its environs.”

Vote date: Tuesday, October 19, 2021 Vote Tally: 421-3

Pennsylvania breakdown: Our delegation voted unanimously in support of this bill.

🗳️ House Vote on H.R.4089 – Darren Drake Act

From the Library of Congress summary: “his bill directs the Department of Homeland Security to develop and disseminate best practices for vehicle rental companies and dealers to report suspicious behavior to law enforcement at the point of sale of a rental vehicle. The best practices must include guidance on defining and identifying suspicious behavior in a manner that protects civil rights and civil liberties.”

Vote date: Tuesday, October 19, 2021 Vote Tally: 379-51

Pennsylvania breakdown: Our delegation voted 17-1, with 🔴 PA-10’s Rep. Scott Perry voting NO.

🗳️ House Vote on H.R.4369 – National Centers of Excellence in Advanced and Continuous Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Act

From the Library of Congress summary: “This bill directs the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to designate qualified institutions of higher education as National Centers of Excellence in Continuous Pharmaceutical Manufacturing and to provide grants to the centers. Each designated center must conduct research on continuous manufacturing technologies and must share information from such research with the FDA. (Currently, most drug production involves batch manufacturing, which typically takes longer than continuous manufacturing processes.)”

Vote date: Tuesday, October 19, 2021 Vote Tally: 368-56

Pennsylvania breakdown: Our delegation voted 17-1, with 🔴 PA-10’s Rep. Scott Perry voting NO.

🗳️ House Vote on H.R.654 – Drug-Free Communities Pandemic Relief Act

From the Library of Congress summary: “This bill authorizes the Drug-Free Communities Support Program, subject to certain limitations, to waive matching funds requirements applicable to certain grants for reducing substance use among youth. Before waiving these requirements, the program must determine that a grantee is unable to raise funds because of the COVID-19 (i.e. coronavirus disease 2019) emergency. Currently, the Office of National Drug Control Policy administers this program, and community coalitions that receive the grants must match a specified percentage of the federal award amount with non federal funds, including in-kind contributions.”

Vote date: Wednesday, October 20, 2021 Vote Tally: 395-30

Pennsylvania breakdown: Our delegation voted 16-1-1, with 🔴 PA-10’s Rep. Scott Perry voting NO and 🔵 PA-08’s Rep. Matt Cartwright not voting.

🗳️ House Vote on H.R.2379 – State Opioid Response Grant Authorization Act

From the Library of Congress summary: “This bill reauthorizes through FY2027 and expands the scope of the State Opioid Response Grant program that is administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Current law limits the use of these grants to specifically address the opioid crisis and opioid use disorders, while this bill allows the grants to address substance use disorders more broadly.”

Vote date: Wednesday, October 20, 2021 Vote Tally: 380-46

Pennsylvania breakdown: Our delegation voted 16-1-1, with 🔴 PA-10’s Rep. Scott Perry voting NO and 🔵 PA-08’s Rep. Matt Cartwright not voting.

🗳️ House Vote on H.R.3635 – Strengthening America’s Strategic National Stockpile Act

From the Library of Congress summary: “This bill makes changes to the administration and management of the Strategic National Stockpile. Among these changes, the bill authorizes through September 30, 2024, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to transfer supplies from the stockpile to any federal departments or agencies under certain conditions. HHS must also ensure the contents of the stockpile remain in working order and may enter into maintenance service contracts to carry out this requirement. Furthermore, as part of its management of the stockpile, HHS must establish and maintain domestic reserves of certain supplies, including by entering into cooperative agreements or partnerships to access facilities and equipment to produce these supplies. The authority for such agreements and partnerships terminates on September 30, 2024. Additionally, the bill temporarily authorizes HHS to award grants to states for maintaining stockpiles of certain equipment and supplies for use during public health emergencies.”

Vote date: Wednesday, October 20, 2021 Vote Tally: 397-22

Pennsylvania breakdown: Our delegation voted 15-1-2, with 🔴 PA-10’s Rep. Scott Perry voting NO and 🔵 PA-08’s Rep. Matt Cartwright and 🔴 PA-13’s Rep. John Joyce not voting.

🗳️ House Vote on H.R.3919 – Secure Equipment Act of 2021

From the Library of Congress summary: “This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to establish rules stating that it will no longer review or approve any authorization application for equipment that is on the list of covered communications equipment or services. (Listed communications equipment or services are those that the FCC determines pose an unacceptable risk to national security or the security and safety of U.S. persons.)”

Vote date: Wednesday, October 20, 2021 Vote Tally: 420-4

Pennsylvania breakdown: Our delegation voted 16-0-2, with 🔵 PA-08’s Rep. Matt Cartwright and 

🔴 PA-15’s Rep. Glenn W. Thompson not voting.

🗳️ House Vote on H.R.4028 – Information and Communication Technology Strategy Act

The Library of Congress summary has not been prepared yet. This bill appears to mandate a report be made by the Secretary of Commerce to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, on the topic of the “economic competitiveness of the information and communication technology supply chain” (quoted from the bill text) including how much American companies are reliant on international sources, and what the US needs to do to create a “a whole-of-Government strategy to ensure the economic competitiveness of trusted information and communication technology vendors.”.

Vote date: Wednesday, October 20, 2021 Vote Tally: 413-14

Pennsylvania breakdown: Our delegation voted 17-0-1, with d 🔵 PA-08’s Rep. Matt Cartwright not voting.

🗳️ House Vote on H.R.4032 – Open RAN (Radio Access Network) Outreach Act

The Library of Congress summary has not been prepared yet. This bill requires the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to conduct outreach and provide technical assistance to small communications network providers “to raise awareness regarding the uses, benefits, and challenges of Open RAN networks and other open network architectures” (quoted from the bill text).

Vote date: Wednesday, October 20, 2021 Vote Tally: 410-17

Pennsylvania breakdown: Our delegation voted 15-1-2, with 🔴 PA-10’s Rep. Scott Perry voting NO and 🔵 PA-08’s Rep. Matt Cartwright not voting.

🗳️ House Vote on H.R.4067 – Communications Security, Reliability & Interoperability Council Act

The Library of Congress summary has not been prepared yet. This bill sets up a Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council Act “to advise the Commission on issues including the security, reliability, and interoperability of communications networks” (quoted from the bill text).

Vote date: Wednesday, October 20, 2021 Vote Tally: 397-29

Pennsylvania breakdown: Our delegation voted 16-1-1, with 🔴 PA-10’s Rep. Scott Perry voting NO and 🔵 PA-08’s Rep. Matt Cartwright not voting.

🗳️ House Vote on H.R.4611 – DHS Software Supply Chain Risk Management Act

The Library of Congress summary has not been prepared yet. This bill directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to issue guidance to federal contractors where communications security is an issue, that they must provide “certification that each item listed on the submitted bill of materials is free from all known vulnerabilities or defects affecting the security of the end product or service identified” (quoted from the bill text) in future contracts.

Vote date: Wednesday, October 20, 2021 Vote Tally: 412-2

Pennsylvania breakdown: Our delegation voted 16-0-2, with 🔵 PA-08’s Rep. Matt Cartwright and 

🔴 PA-09’s Rep. Dan Meuser.

Unanimously passed legislation

The following bills were passed through unanimous consent or voice vote (which presumes unanimity, as any member can object to the voice vote and ask for a roll call). This list excludes bills related to post offices, stamps, memorials, awareness weeks and other ceremonial activities.

• S.3011 – State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Fiscal Recovery, Infrastructure, and Disaster Relief Flexibility Act
• H.R.1508 – Guidance Clarity Act of 2021
• S.2899 – Prison Camera Reform Act of 2021

And last but certainly not least, we bring you S.Res.422 – A resolution authorizing the use of the atrium in the Philip A. Hart Senate Office Building for a bipartisan Halloween dog parade on October 27, 2021. Normally MoCTrack ignores such ceremonial actions, but this is too cute to ignore.  You had better believe we will be looking for some congressional dog photos in the days after the parade!

Quotes of Interest

Our Senators on the GOP Filibuster of the Freedom to Vote Act

🔵 Senator Bob Casey, from his official website, 10/20/21:

“Across the Nation, lawmakers have introduced over 400 voter suppression bills in state legislatures. Our Democracy is under siege and today, for the third time this year, Senate Republicans voted against the Senate from even debating legislation to protect voting rights. The Freedom to Vote Act would protect access to the ballot, end partisan gerrymandering and enhance our electoral infrastructure—commonsense measures supported by Americans in both parties. This bill is historic, but it’s also a compromise. Senate Republicans could not bring themselves to vote for the most foundational protections for our sacred right to vote. Today, they voted against voter access, election security, and diminishing the dominance of dark, corporate money in our politics. They also voted against provisions of my own bill, the Accessible Voting Act, which aims to create an accessible voting experience for every voter and ensures the voting needs of the disability community are part of the conversation.

“Let me be clear: At the core of voter suppression is white supremacy. For our Nation’s entire history, there have been efforts to disenfranchise and restrict access to the polls for eligible voters, and especially for Black voters. Our democracy is under attack, and we need to keep fighting to ensure all Americans have a say in their government.”

🔴 Senator Pat Toomey, from his official website, 10/20/21:

“The so-called Freedom to Vote Act—like the similarly misnamed For the People Act—is just the Democrats’ latest effort to rebrand their unpopular, unpassable attempt to nationalize elections and achieve long-term job security by tipping the scales of future elections in their favor. This power grab is a flawed, partisan effort to override state election laws and overrule reasonable methods that ensure it’s easy to vote and hard to cheat. This so-called election reform isn’t for America. It’s for the Democrats to keep the majority.”

Senate Tweets

🔵 Senator Bob Casey, @SenBobCasey, 10/22/21:

“Home & community-based services keep seniors & people with disabilities like Brandon living independently in their homes.

It was an honor to be in Scranton yesterday with @POTUS to hear the personal stories of what these critical services mean to Pennsylvanians. #CareCantWait.”

This content from the senator was his quote tweet text that accompanied this video and tweet from President Biden on his visit to the Commonwealth this week:

🔴 Senator Pat Toomey, @SenToomey, 10/19/21:

“The Biden admin’s plan to allow the IRS to monitor Americans’ bank accounts is a terrible idea.

Remember: This is the same IRS that discriminated against conservative groups and leaked personal tax information. This wildly flawed proposal should never see the light of day.”

House Tweets

🔴 PA-01’s Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, @RepBrianFitz, 10/19/21:

“Proud to rally with our veterans and first responders at the Back the Blue Rally in Bensalem! Now, more than ever, our law enforcement officers need our support. These brave men & women put their lives on the line to protect us. To our hero officers across the country—thank you!”

🔵 PA-02’s Rep. Brendan Boyle, @CongBoyle, 10/24/21:

“I’ve been optimistic throughout this process as long and as challenging as it may seem. Every Democrat, from the most conservative/centrist, to the most liberal—recognizes we need to pass both of these [infrastructure/Build Back Better] bills. I do believe we made remarkable progress this past week”

🔵 PA-03’s Rep. Dwight Evans, @RepDwightEvans, 10/22/21:

“I continue to call on @POTUS to fire the Trump holdovers on the USPS board so a new majority on the board could #FireDeJoy and #SaveThePostOffice!”

🔵 PA-04’s Rep. Madeleine Dean, @RepDean, 10/21/21:

“This is not only about Mr. Bannon. This is about protecting our rule of law and Democracy.

Do we sit on our hands or do we safeguard our Republic?

I refuse to sit on my hands — so today I will vote yes to hold Mr. Bannon in contempt of Congress.

This is not a game.”

🔵 PA-05’s Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, @RepMGS, 10/23/21:

“Just dropping this here⮟

PA-05: Learn more about the secure ballot drop boxes in your county that are in place for the upcoming election.

🗳️ Delaware County: http://bit.ly/3jsT3ar

🗳️ Montgomery County: http://bit.ly/2ZgGOqc

🗳️ Philadelphia County: http://bit.ly/3jvKawN”

🔵 PA-06’s Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, @RepHoulahan, 10/22/21:

“’The Supreme Court declines to block Texas abortion law for now, but will hear oral arguments November 1′

Justice delayed is justice denied. 

We must protect Roe v. Wade now.”

🔵 PA-07’s Rep. Susan Wild, @RepSusanWild, 10/22/21:

It’s amazing to hear that @POTUS took the time to address mental health during last night’s town hall:

“A broken spirit is no different than a broken arm,” he said. “Seek the help.”

I couldn’t agree more, Mr. President.”

🔵 PA-08’s Rep. Matt Cartwright, @RepCartwright, 10/21/21:

“Restoring passenger rail in NEPA was a big focus of President Biden’s visit home to Scranton yesterday. I’ve been working on this project a long time, and the infrastructure bill we’re working to pass in Congress would finally make it a reality.”

🔴 PA-09’s Rep. Dan Meuser, @RepMeuser, 10/22/21:

“The President claims he hasn’t had time to go to the border, but he certainly finds time to go home to Delaware.  

Why is the humanitarian crisis at our border not important to President Biden?”

🔴 PA-10’s Rep. Scott Perry, @RepScottPerry, 10/13/21:

“According to @Reuters, @POTUS is asking U.S. oil-and-gas companies to help lower fuel costs.  This is like asking firemen to put out an inferno when you’re the arsonist, stole their truck, and shut off all the hydrants.  #BIDENSAMERICA #GasPrice #inflation

Editor’s note: this is the only time Rep. Scott Perry tweeted since our last report.  Once can see why when one looks at how badly this tweet was “ratioed” – this was retweeted or liked only 74 times, while there were over 120 replies. Twitter hates Scott Perry (and insurrectionists in general), and so he does not use that platform often.

🔴 PA-11’s Rep. Lloyd Smucker, @RepSmucker, 10/22/21:

“Biden’s reckless spending is causing inflation which is taxing Americans’ budgets.”

🔴 PA-12’s Rep. Fred Keller, @RepFredKeller, 10/21/21:

“Nine months into this administration, we’re seeing prices of energy that have not been this high in almost a decade.”

🔴 PA-13’s Rep. John Joyce, @RepJohnJoyce, 10/21/21:

“Under the guise of closing the “tax gap,” President Biden wants to turn local banks into chapters of the IRS to report on your personal bank account.  It should never be acceptable to spy on Americans’ finances.”

🔴 PA-14’s Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, @GReschenthaler, 10/21/21:

“Proud to stand with my fellow Republicans and demand that Biden step up and finally respond to the supply chain and ports crisis.

Spending trillions on their far-left pipedreams won’t fix this – leadership will.”

🔴 PA-15’s Rep. Glenn W. Thompson, @CongressmanGT, 10/23/21:

🔴 PA-16’s Rep. Mike Kelly, @MikeKellyPA, 10/22/21:

“Everyone agrees we need to make things easier for working mothers. But, the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act adds another level of bureaucracy on our small businesses. Some provisions will be nearly impossible for manufacturing & agriculture businesses to actually implement.

Today, I voted to move this bill forward because I’m committed to ensuring women can participate in our workforce. I remain concerned that the language is impossible for many employers to implement, though, so I hope to see more common-sense changes before it becomes law.”

🔵 PA-17’s Rep. Conor Lamb, @ConorLambPA, 10/20/21:

“People are rightfully worried about voting rights today.

Our bill is named for John Lewis, who shed his own blood for the sacred right to vote.

We won’t back down. We’ll sacrifice. We’ll work hard. We’ll win this Senate race in PA.

And then we’ll defeat the filibuster. #PASen”

🔵 PA-18’s Rep. Mike Doyle, @USRepMikeDoyle, 10/15/21:

“My @GOP friends love to exaggerate the cost of the #BuildBackBetterAct but never stop to ask what the cost of not passing it would be. It’d cost the US over 4 million jobs annually – not to mention the effect it’d have on #childcare & the #ClimateCrisis.”

Pennsylvania MoCs in the News

PA-16’s Rep. Kelly in hot water for ethics issue

From the WESA article titled “Pennsylvania Rep. Mike Kelly faces ethics scrutiny over stock purchase:”

A congressional ethics watchdog has concluded there is “substantial reason to believe” that the wife of Pennsylvania Rep. Mike Kelly used nonpublic information gained through her husband’s position in Congress to purchase stock last year, a likely violation of federal law and House rules.

A report from the Office of Congressional Ethics released late Thursday detailed the April 2020 purchase of stock in an Ohio steelmaker. The company had threatened to shut down a plant in Kelly’s district unless the Trump administration took action that would help make it more competitive, steps the administration took after Kelly, a Republican, and others intervened.

The ethics office has recommended that subpoenas be issued for Kelly, his wife, Victoria, a senior staffer and former Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross because they declined to be interviewed or participate in the investigation.

PA-18’s Rep. Doyle announces he will not run for re-election in 2022

From the Pittsburgh area congressman’s official website statement:

…I believe the time has come to pass the torch to the next generation, so I’ve called you here today to announce that I will not be a candidate for Congress in 2022 and plan to retire at the end of my current term.  This was not an easy decision and I spent most of this year going back and forth over whether to seek a fifteenth term, but I came to this conclusion for a number of reasons.

First and most importantly, my wife and I have discussed how we want to spend our retirement together now that our family is grown and on their own, and I think the pandemic has accelerated those plans. 

Second, the redistricting will change this district and most likely push part of it outside Allegheny County.  This is a good transition time for a new Member to start in a newly drawn district.

Third, the district deserves to hear from a robust field of candidates, and I want to make sure potential candidates have enough time to fundraise and put their platform in front of the voters.  There are many people who might not consider running if they thought I was going to run, so I want to give them the time and opportunity to do so. 

And finally, with no incumbents running in the current 17th & 18th Districts, there is an opportunity to look at the Congressional map in Allegheny County with fresh eyes, hopefully preserving two Democratic seats.  

It is my goal to “run through the finish line” as I still have 14 months left on my term.  I will be in Washington, DC, tomorrow pushing to get the infrastructure bill and our “Build Back Better” plan passed because the people I am privileged to represent will benefit greatly from their passage…

…I want to thank the people of Pittsburgh, the best people in the world, for giving me the opportunity to serve you in Congress over these many years.  It’s truly been a joy as well as an honor and a privilege to have the chance to serve this community, which I love from the bottom of my heart, in the U.S. House of Representatives.  Thank you, Pittsburgh.

This report is brought to you by the Pennsylvania  MoCTrack team… 

CC Linda Houk Gary Garb Kierstyn Piotrowski Zolfo