Casey stresses social progress

Sept. 29--U.S. Sen. Bob Casey said he will focus on raising the federal minimum wage and expanding health insurance coverage, child care and early childhood education if voters return him to the Senate for a third term.

During a meeting with The Times-Tribune editorial board Friday, Casey, 57, a Scranton Democrat, said he would also concentrate on expanding access to higher education and adequate pensions and targeting tax cuts to the middle class.

"I think the contrast in this campaign is as clear as can be," he said.

Casey faces U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-11, Hazleton, for the six-year Senate term that begins in January. The job pays $174,000 a year.

With Republicans opposed to a higher minimum wage, Casey said perhaps Congress can agree on a tax cut that helps the middle class.

"One of the reasons I opposed the tax cut last December is it was a huge missed opportunity for the middle class," he said.

Republicans boast the tax cut spurred the economy, but Casey said wealthy people who didn't need it benefited the most.

He said the "massive corporate (tax) cut" boosted the nation's long-term debt by $1 trillion over the next decade and set the table for Republicans' planned $5 trillion in spending cuts, including $2.1 trillion of health care cuts that will include Medicare and Medicaid.

"This shouldn't surprise anyone. This is the Ryan budget cuts for years now," Casey said, referring to House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin.

The tax cut trimmed corporate taxes to 21 percent from 35 percent, but a cut to 25 or 26 percent could have saved billions of dollars for increased child and earned income tax credits that could lift millions of Americans out of poverty.

"If we did that, every American would benefit," Casey said. "Those kids would grow up to have higher skills. They would be healthier and they would contribute more to the country by doing that."

The cut also reduced the money available for fixing roads and bridges and expanding broadband internet to 471,000 rural Pennsylvanian residents who lack access to it, he said.

"We had a major moment, because it was such a big bill, to do something about it and Republicans decided just not to do it," Casey said.

Casey praised President Donald Trump's administration for confronting China on trade with tariffs but said the administration hasn't acted strategically or in an organized way. For example, forming an international alliance with other steel-producing countries could have helped affect trade with China, he said.

"I don't know why we can't develop a bipartisan trade policy first," he said.

The policy would require protections for organized labor and the environment in countries that want to trade with the United States, he said.

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