Bob Casey believes that public service is a privilege and that he was elected to fight for Pennsylvania priorities and Pennsylvania values. He is working to foster financial security for American families, improve the lives of our children, increase opportunities for the middle class, and protect our national security interests.
As a member of the Finance Committee, Senator Casey has made it his top priority to create Pennsylvania jobs and grow the U.S. economy. Senator Casey has introduced legislation to make it easier for small businesses to plan for capital investments that are vital to job creation and voted to provide billions for tax cuts to encourage businesses to hire workers. He has continuously fought against unfair trade policies that put American manufacturing at a disadvantage. He has pushed for the U.S. government to take stronger action against China in response to the undervaluing of its currency and other policies that result in American job loss. He also voted for legislation to eliminate tax incentives corporations receive to send U.S. jobs overseas.
Senator Casey is a nationally recognized advocate for children. He introduced landmark legislation to increase access to early childhood education. His legislation reauthorizing the Children’s Hospital Graduate Medical Education (CHGME) program was passed into law this year and continues to train thousands of pediatricians and pediatric subspecialists to care for kids. Senator Casey is fighting to protect the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which provides health care coverage to more than 14 million American children. Senator Casey has been recognized with numerous awards for his work benefiting children, including the Champion for Children Award from First Focus, Children’s Champion Award from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and the Delaware Valley Association for the Education of Young Children (DVAEYC) Champion for Young Children Award.
Senator Casey is a member of the National Security Working Group and former Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee overseeing the Middle East. He is a leader in promoting nuclear security and combating the threat posed by terrorists obtaining nuclear material. He was one of the first to call for more decisive action in Syria to protect U.S. national security at home and facilitate stability across the Middle East.
Senator Casey has worked to protect our troops in Afghanistan by increasing international pressure to stop the flow of ammonium nitrate, a prime component in IEDs that have killed or wounded thousands of troops and civilians.
To increase pressure on Iran, Senator Casey introduced the bipartisan Iran Sanctions Enabling Act, which would authorize the divestment of public pension money from companies doing business in Iran’s oil and natural gas sector. Senator Casey also cosponsored the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act to strengthen the President’s ability to impose sanctions on companies that help Iran import or develop refined petroleum. Both measures are now law.
Senator Casey has been a strong advocate for SNAP and other nutritional programs that help Pennsylvania families while driving consumer spending and economic growth. As Chair of the HELP subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety, he has fought to increase the minimum wage, correct pay inequities and increase worker protections. He is a leader in the fight to improve health and safety for coal miners to prevent black lung, as well as in ensuring that coal miners with black lung receive the help they are owed.
Senator Casey has fought to increase investment in infrastructure and address Pennsylvania’s failing bridges. His legislation to improve Pennsylvania’s locks and dams, which are critical to commerce and job creation, was signed into law earlier this year.
In eight years as Pennsylvania Auditor General and two years as State Treasurer, Bob Casey compiled a record that focused on making government more accountable and responsive to the needs of Pennsylvanians. He has been a fiscal watchdog who made nursing homes safer, child care more affordable and government more accountable. He led the fight to reform Megan’s Law to better protect Pennsylvania children and communities.
Casey serves on five Senate committees: Finance; Health, Education, Labor and Pensions; Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry; the Special Committee on Aging; and the Joint Economic Committee.
Born and raised in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Bob Casey graduated from The College of the Holy Cross in 1982 and spent the following year teaching fifth grade and coaching eighth grade basketball in inner city Philadelphia for the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. He received his law degree from Catholic University in 1988 and entered the practice of law in Scranton.
Casey and his wife, Terese, were married in 1985 and live in Scranton. They have four daughters: Elyse, Caroline, Julia and Marena. Casey is the eldest son of the late Governor Robert P. Casey and his wife, Ellen. Throughout his public career, Bob Casey has been guided by the legacy of his father and the principle that: “All public service is a trust, given in faith and accepted in honor.”
