$$ Toomey's Committees $$

Committee Assignments

Senator Toomey serves on three committees in the U.S. Senate:

Finance Committee

The Committee concerns itself with matters relating to: taxation and other revenue measures generally, and those relating to the insular possessions; bonded debt of the United States; customs, collection districts, and ports of entry and delivery; reciprocal trade agreements; tariff and import quotas, and related matters thereto; the transportation of dutiable goods; deposit of public moneys; general revenue sharing; health programs under the Social Security Act, including Medicare, Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) and other health and human services programs financed by a specific tax or trust fund; and national social security.

***Finance Subcommittees

    Chairman - Subcommittee on Health Care

    Subcommittee on Social Security, Pensions and Family Policy; and

    Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight;

Recent Legislation in the Finance Committee:

H.R. 22: Hire More Heroes Act of 2015

**Amendments by Toomey: 

Toomey/Warner #1 - Protecting Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Responders Act

H.R. 5021: The Preserving America’s Transit and Highways Act
**Amendments by Toomey:
Toomey #1 - To reserve federal transportation funds for national
infrastructure priorities
Toomey #2 - To ease federal burdens on state and local governments
recovering from catastrophic events
Toomey #3 - To rescind funds for high speed rail projects and use that money to fund national infrastructure projects

S. 2260: Expiring Provisions Improvement Reform and Efficiency (EXPIRE) Act
**Amendments by Toomey:
Menendez/Toomey #1 - Small Business Inflation Protection Amendment
Menendez/Toomey #2 - Expansion of Small Business Capital Gains Exemption To be Provided
Menendez/Toomey/Carper #3 - Small Business R&D Partnerships Amendment
Thune/Toomey #4 - To make Permanent the Section 179 Small Business Expensing Limits
at $500,000/$2M that Expired at the end of 2013
Thune/Toomey #8 - To Repeal the Federal Estate Tax
Toomey/Hatch/Burr/Cornyn/Crapo/ Roberts/Portman/Isakson #1 -Save Good Paying American Jobs and Encourage Life-Saving Innovation by Delaying the Medical Device Tax for Two Years
Toomey/Hatch/Isakson/Roberts/Crapo #2Save Good Paying American Jobs and Encourage Life-Saving
Toomey #3 - Eliminate Crony Capitalist Energy Tax Credits
Toomey #4 - Reform the Employer Wage Credit for Activated Military Reservists 
Toomey/Casey/Roberts #5 - Preserving Access to Orphan Drugs Revenue Neutral
Toomey #6 - Permanently Extend 50% Bonus Depreciation
Toomey #7 - Increase Veterans WOTC and Eliminate Crony Capitalist Handouts
Toomey #8 - Eliminate Crony Capitalist Handouts and Increase the Deduction for College Tuition and Teachers' Classroom Expenses
Toomey #9 - Protect Bald Eagles from Wind Turbines

These are some of the most recent pieces of legislation that the Finance Committee as focused on. Toomey has added amendments to each of the bills in order to put his mark on the legislation. As seen in Bill H.R. 22, he only made one amendment which either shows the lack of importance of the bill either Toomey or his constituents to which there would be little opportunity to credit claim, or that Toomey was uninterested or knew little about the bill. Therefore, he made at least one amendment in order to be able to say he had a part in the legislation if the importance of the issue would ever increase. On bills such as S. 2260, he made numerous amendments which shows the importance of the bill to Toomey himself, as well as his want to make a lot of credit claiming on the bill. This could mean it is an important bill for his state and deals with issues that are salient to his constituents, or that with his experience and knowledge on the issue, he can make changes that could benefit the bill or benefit his state. 

Budget Committee

This is a newer Senate Committee having been started in 1974 under the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974. The Budget Committee is responsible for drafting Congress’ annual budget plan and for monitoring the federal budget.
     
----In this first two years in the Senate, Sen. Toomey introduced a 10-year balanced budget proposal. His idea received more votes in the Senate than any other budget plan in 2011.

The Budget Committee deals with balancing the budget as well as investigating issues with the federal budget. Some of their active investigations include:

• 7/1/14  --  Sessions Asks Why Medicare Agency Can’t Prevent Fraud, Recover Known Improper Payments
• 5/1/14  --  Sessions Investigates Disability Benefits Being Awarded On Basis Of Inability To Speak English
• 4/29/14 --  Sessions Seeks Missing Details On Taxpayer Support For Controversial Solar Company 
• 4/3/14  --  Sessions Writes To Small Business Administration About Cost Of Loan Program

These investigations are headed by the ranking member of the committee. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL). Although, he is the one who wrote these letters or made these press releases on the issue, the other Senators in the Budget Committee such as Toomey, undoubtedly help in the investigation and would take part in getting credit for the work they did to help fix the problem they are looking into. This appears to be an important committee for Toomey to be on because it is ranked in about the middle for level of importance among Senate committees but it deals with the U.S. budget which is definitely a salient issue for constituents.  

Banking Housing and Urban Affairs Committee

This committee manages legislation in areas of jurisdiction that include, but are not limited to: banking, insurance, financial markets, securities, housing, urban development and mass transit, international trade and finance, and economic policy.

***Banking Subcommittees

    Chairman - Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection;

    Securities, Insurance and Investment; and

    Economic Policy

Legislation Sponsored by Toomey Before the Banking Committee:

• S. 264   -  A bill to require a full audit of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal reserve banks by the Comptroller General of the United States, and for other purposes.

• S. 372   -  A bill to ensure access to certain information for financial services industry regulators, and for other purposes.

• S. 423   -  A bill to amend the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act to provide an exception to the annual written privacy notice requirement.

• S. 482   -  A bill to increase from $10,000,000,000 to $50,000,000,000 the threshold figure at which regulated depository institutions are subject to direct examination and reporting requirements of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, and for other purposes.

• S. 576   -  A bill to increase the threshold for disclosures required by the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to compensatory benefit plans, and for other purposes.

• S. 682   -  A bill to amend the Truth in Lending Act to modify the Truth in Lending Act to modify the definitions of a mortgage originator and a high-cost mortgage.

As we have seen as we study legislation almost all legislation presented by Members of Congress dies in the committees. Toomey has presented numerous bills in this particular committee but he most likely plans on few to none of them actually going anywhere. He does this however, to show voters that he is working. Most people do not realize that when he says he presented a bill all it means is that it is put into the committee and most do not know that that bill may not even be discussed on the Senate floor let alone get voted on. This enables Toomey, as well as all Senators, to please constituents on numerous issues that they are concerned about by forming legislation to show the issue is important, even though it may not be important to the Senator and they may have no intention on the bill ever being enacted.





Serving on these committees provides Toomey with an opportunity for a lot of credit claiming. The Finance Committee is considered the most prominent committee in the Senate. Therefore, by serving on this committee Toomey increase his status and prestige in Congress which could potentially gain him favors from other Senators in the future. Also, this prominent status can be used to show constituents that he has influence in the Senate and that they need to reelect him if they want their interests looked out for. Toomey has experience dealing with finance from previous employment with Chemical Bank, where he was involved in currency swap transactions and Morgan, Grenfell & Co., where he dealt in multiple foreign currencies, interest rates, and currency-related derivatives. This experience is a possible reason as to why Toomey received his appointment to his three committees which deal mostly with finance and budgeting. He has knowledge in these areas and has a strong financial and business background which may entice others on the committees to listen to his suggestions and take his advice. His strong loyalty to the Republican party and its stances on issues make him a good appointment by the party to these committees, as they will be able to rely on him to "stick to party lines". This will benefit the needs of the party as well as the needs of Toomey since he gets to take credit for the work he does on these committees which will aid him in future reelection campaigns.

Go Toomey or Go Home

****Toomey 2016****

Previous Election

In 2009 Toomey announced his plan to run for the Senate again. Upon his announcement, former Republican Senator, Specter, switched parties and decided to run in the Democratic Primary. Toomey easily won the Republican Primary Election, while Specter was defeated by Democrat Joe Sestak in the Democratic Primary. Toomey then went on to defeat Sestak in a heated election where, according to Open Secrets a source for campaign information, the two spent a total of 24 million dollars by a narrow two percent margin 51% to 49% according to Hufffington Post.



Primary Election

The 2016 Primary Election in Pennsylvania will be a very interesting campaign to watch. According to RollCall, a source focusing on some of the more critical elections of 2016, the Pennsylvania Senate race for with Toomey will be one of the ten most important races in this election cycle. Toomey, as the incumbent, should have a safe primary election with little, if any, competition from any other Republican candidates. The big concern for Toomey will be the stances he takes on issues during his Primary Election Campaign. Toomey must consider who he should try to appeal to as far as his constituents go. Toomey has been known to take very conservative stances on issues but now that he has to try to be reelected in a state where he only one by a margin of two percent in his last election, he must consider his stances. He must choose if he should take more moderate stances in order to appeal to the center of the state or should he continue on with his conservative views in order to secure the Primary and hope that he will be able to receive the same amount of votes as the last election. To follow this issue, one can follow Toomey's role call votes and see if he starts changing some of his stances or reaffirms them all.  

Toomey's ideological leanings compared to rest of Senate

General Election and Seat Status

The General Election of 2016 looks to be very competitive for Toomey according to republican candidates.org. Democrat Joe Sestak, who ran against, and narrowly lost to Toomey in 2010, will be taking another swing at the Senate seat. If Toomey wants to win his reelection he will have to make strides to win the blue state of Pennsylvania. Toomey, considered the most conservative legislator in his six years in the House, hs moved more towards the center over his time in the Senate but may have to do more. Toomey has the incumbency advantage playing to his favor but his reelection will rely heavily on the view of the parties during the 2016 presidential election. As of now, President Obama has low approval ratings, especially over his dealings with foreign policy, a strong area of interest for Toomey. If these trends continue into the Fall of 2016 Toomey could have good hopes of being reelected, but if these approval ratings of the President and the Democratic party change, then Toomey could be in for a tough campaign. 

***Toomey's seat is definitely not a secure seat. He has the incumbency advantage and disapproval of Obama and the Democratic party playing to his favor now, but this could change by 2016. 


Campaign Funds

According to the ever reliable opensecrets site, Toomey has raised as much as 26,600,000 dollars as of 2014. Toomey has five million dollars available as cash on hand for his next election compared to Sestak who only has just over one million cash on hand as stated by PoliticsPA. Toomey and Sestak combined spent over 24 million dollars on their last campaign battle with Toomey accounting for 17 million of the funds. Even with this advantage in money, Toomey still had a heated election. Since both, Toomey and Sestak are running again and could potentially face off in the General Election again one could assume that there will be at least the same amount of money spent, if not even more.

2016 Major Issues

Due to the high salience of the issue, foreign relations, especially the Middle East, will be a major issue of the 2016 campaign. This is usually a strong area for Republicans anyways, but even more so now that there are many critics about the steps Obama has taken when dealing with foreign policy. ISIS will be a major concern that Toomey will try to focus on to gain approval over the Democrats. Other major areas will be issues such as the economy and and possibly, due to recent events in the United States, social issues. Toomey, being a Republican, will most likely take control of the economy especially with his extensive background in finances and his current positions on various committees dealing with finances, the budget and banking. The issue of social equality could be an area of concern for Toomey. Democrats tend to control this issue and this could become a big concern in the 2016 election and Toomey will have to find a way of dealing with this topic effectively.

The Toomey Strategy



Recent Travel
Like all Senators, Toomey understands the importance of making public appearances in order to receive more name recognition as well as improve his image. All Congressmen and Women must meet and speak with constituents who are potential voters in order to try to secure their votes in the future or receive donations to future campaigns. Recently Toomey has made trips for these purposes which include:

• The University of Pennsylvania----Toomey has recently visited the U. of Pennsylvania in order to learn about advancements in research for cures to cancer and Alzheimer disease. Toomey's mother-in-law has recently been diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer. By making his appearance at the University Toomey can allow people to see his family-man side as well as his efforts to push for cures to diseases. Another reason may also be to appeal to college studetns by making campus appearances.
• Pennsylvania Firehouses----Senator Toomey and Senator Mark Warner of VA. have been traveling around the nation in order to gain support for a Bill they are forming which codifies IRS regulations prohibiting volunteer emergency responders from being counted as full-time equivalent employees for the purpose of determining the employer mandate. Toomey can gain support from his state as well as other parts of the country by working with a Democratic Senator Warner because who can so no to firemen?!!
• Sea Island, GA ----(Paid for by the American Enterprise Institute) Toomey has made a trip to Georgia most likely for business purposes. He serves on the Banking and Finance Committees so it makes sense for him to learn about various research on social policy and economics since that seems to be his main focus in the Senate.

• Palm Beach Florida----(Paid for by the Club for Growth) Toomey has made a couple annual trips to Palm Beach and although it seems to be a vacation of sorts he is actually on business (at least we hope!). Club for Growth, a lobby group focused on working for conservative economic stances, holds an annual Winter Economic Conference. By attending these Toomey can appear to be gaining more knowledge on economics to use when forming legislation and serving on his committees and subcommittees. The more knowledge he gains the more legislation he can propose and this creates an image to his constituents as a tireless worker.  

Other various Appearances Toomey has made to do fundraising include:

• Johnny's Half Shell - 400 North Capitol Street NW-July 31st, 2014 (8:30 a.m.)
• Type of Event-Breakfast
• PAC:$2,500/$1,000 Individual:$1,000/$500
• Rasika-July 29th, 2014 (6:30 p.m.) - 633 D Street NW
• Type of Event-Dinner
• PAC:$2,500/$1,500 Individual:$1,000/$500
• The Cloister; The Lodge - April 25th, 2014 - April 27th, 
• 2014-100 Cloister Drive; 100 Retreat Ave, Sea Island
• Type of Event-Sea Island Weekend
• Individual: $1,500 PAC: $3,000

• These events are important for Toomey because like all Members of Congress he must raise money in order to run in elections and have successful campaigns. The fundraising process is never-ending, therefore, Toomey must have these events if he wants to raise money as well as meet supportive constituents who are willing to donate money. The more dinners he attends, and the more constituents he meets, the better chance Toomey will have at being reelected. 

Press Releases

• Jan. 29th, 2015----Sen. Toomey proposed legislation where he wants a congressional vote on any nuclear agreement with Iran.

• Toomey is working on a Bill that will require any sort of deal the United States makes with Iran over its nuclear program must be voted on by Congress. This could appear to be a very important Bill for Toomey because with the constant fear people have of Iran and its nuclear abilities, and the dislike of Obama's foreign policy, people will support Toomey in his actions to keep the situation under close watch and may even feel safer in dealing with Congress over the Executive Branch.
• With Iran, Congress Must Provide Urgency--by PAT TOOMEY February 4, 2015 4:00 AM

• February 16, 2015----Kris Toomey swims, bikes, runs to fight her mother's cancer.
• This press release does not deal with Toomey himself so much as it does with his family. Toomey's mother-in-law (as previously discussed) was recently diagnosed with cancer. Becuase of this, Toomey's wife, Kris, is putting together a team to participate in a Triathlon event to raise money for cancer research and treatment. This is still important for Toomey because he has supported his wife's in this endeavor which not only gives him an image of a caring family-man but also a man who cares about people in need and those with illnesses. Also, when people view a politician they look to his or her family to help with their judgment as well. 
• February 19, 2015----Toomey calls for action in prescription drug monitoring program re-authorization



Watch Video

• Toomey was shown on the news calling for action from the Senate in fighting against prescription drug abuse. He can use this for name recognition in the form of free media and gain support of constituents who feel the same way on the issue. 
• Other Press Releases to help the image of Sen. Toomey
• February 13, 2015----Senate must pass bill to protect students from abuse by teachers (letter).
• February 24, 2015----President Barack Obama just vetoed thousands of new ‪#‎jobs‬. ‪#‎KeystoneXL‬
• February 20, 2015----New woes for HealthCare.gov: Wrong tax info sent out.

Getting the Word Out

• Franking/Mailing
• Ability of Members of Congress to send mail without having to pay postage. Enables Members to send mail to mass quantities of constituents to inform them of  the Member easily.



View Toomey's Facebook or Twitter

• Toomey sends out constant Newsletters to constituents that sign up for it via his official website.
• Social Media
• Toomey tends to spend much of his efforts of reaching constituents through social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. These are major areas for him where he posts pictures, various news articles about legislation he is involved, and comments he has on the day or issues currently in the news. 

Sponsored and Co-Sponsored Legislation

• Toomey has sponsored 46 different pieces of Legislation and has a rank of 32 out of a 100 in terms of amount of sponsored legislation. Many of these Bills deal with his main areas of interest such as Financing, and Economics. 
• Toomey has Co-Sponsored 159 pieces of Legislation.
• Toomey has had three Bills enacted:
• S. 229: Corporal Michael J. Crescenz Act of 2013
  Sponsor: Sen. Patrick “Pat” Toomey [R-PA]
  Introduced: Feb 7, 2013
  Enacted — Signed by the President: Dec 16, 2014
• A bill to designate the medical center of the Department of Veterans Affairs located at 3900 Woodland Avenue in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the "Corporal Michael J. Crescenz Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center".

• H.R. 4685 (107th): Accountability of Tax Dollars Act of 2002
  

  Sponsor: Sen. Patrick “Pat” Toomey [R-PA]

  Introduced: May 8, 2002

  Enacted — Signed by the President: Nov 7, 2002
• To amend title 31, United States Code, to expand the types of Federal agencies that are required to prepare audited financial statements.

• H.R. 558 (107th): To designate the Federal building and United States courthouse located at 504 West Hamilton Street in Allentown, Pennsylvania, as the “Edward N. Cahn Federal Building and United States Courthouse”.
  

  Sponsor: Sen. Patrick “Pat” Toomey [R-PA]

  Introduced: Feb 12, 2001

  Enacted — Signed by the President: Aug 20, 2001
• Passed House without amendment.Designates the Federal building and U.S. courthouse located at 504 West Hamilton Street in Allentown, Pennsylvania, as the Edward N. Cahn Federal Building and United States Courthouse.

• By sponsoring and co-sponsoring so many Bills and having three enacted this can really boost Toomey's popularity with his constituents. Two of the Bills deal directly with Pennsylvania so it shows that he is making efforts to better his own state even though one of the Bills only changed the name of a court house he still gets credit for it.