In other political news, Shaughnessy Naughton criticizes U.S. Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick for a vote on an abortion-funding bill and State Treasurer Rob McCord, a Democratic candidate for governor, receives an endorsement.
By Tom Waring
Wire Staff Writer
U.S. Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick and one of his potential Democratic opponents, Kevin Strouse, both offered their views last week on President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address.
Meanwhile, another 8th Congressional District Democratic candidate, Shaughnessy Naughton, criticized Fitzpatrick for a vote on an abortion funding bill.
At the Jan. 28 address, Fitzpatrick, a Republican, sat with Democratic Illinois Rep. Cheri Bustos. Both are members of the bipartisan group No Labels, which meets weekly and consists of 88 House and Senate lawmakers. One of the focuses of No Labels is to cut waste, fraud and abuse from all areas of government.
In August, Fitzpatrick and Bustos introduced the Fairness to Veterans for Infrastructure Investment Act, which would provide thousands of veterans and veteran-owned businesses with access to existing contracting preferences authorized for federal transportation projects.
Fitzpatrick said he agrees with Obama that 2014 needs to be a “year of action.”
“The hard-working taxpayers of Bucks and Montgomery counties — and families nationwide — deserve a government with a common-sense, bipartisan plan to kick-start our nation’s economy and (put) Americans back to work,” he said. “At the end of the day, increasing opportunity for everyone remains my №1 goal, and I hope the president will join me. By working together — across party lines — we can take action to lower the cost of health care, improve education, reduce tax and regulatory burdens on small businesses and put our nation on a path to energy independence.”
Fitzpatrick served in Congress in 2005–06 before being defeated. He won back the seat in 2010. The district includes all of Bucks County and a portion of Montgomery County.
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Kevin Strouse, a former U.S. Army Ranger and veteran of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, called on Congress to support Obama’s call for an increase in the minimum wage.
The president promised to issue an executive order raising the minimum wage for government contract workers from $7.25 and hour to $10.10.
“An executive order raising the minimum wage to $10.10 for workers on federal contracts is a good first step, but Congressman Fitzpatrick and his colleagues in Washington need to do their jobs and pass a minimum wage increase for all hard-working Americans,” Strouse said.
Strouse and his supporters watched the address from the candidate’s campaign office on Mill Street in Bristol.
“I think raising the minimum wage is the right thing to do, and I’m proud to support Kevin who will work tirelessly to advance meaningful solutions like raising the minimum wage,” said Scott Sadowsky, a college student from Bensalem. “He wants to do what’s best for our families, and that is the kind of leadership we need in Congress.”
Strouse reported raising more than $200,000 in the fourth quarter of 2013. He’s raised about $605,000 overall, and has $470,000 cash on hand.
“I am honored to have the support of so many hard-working men and women in Bucks and Montgomery counties, who want and deserve a representative who gets things done and works to find reasonable solutions to problems instead of playing partisan games that waste our tax dollars and hurt the economy,” he said.
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Shaughnessy Naughton criticized Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick for voting last week in favor of House Resolution 7, which would, among other things, change the tax code so that individuals would be able to deduct medical expenses that are related to abortion only in cases of rape, incest or if the woman’s life is in danger.
The bill passed the House, 227–188, on Jan. 28. Introduced by New Jersey Republican Rep. Chris Smith, it is intended to prohibit taxpayer-funded abortions.
Naughton said that decisions related to abortion should be made by women, not by government bureaucrats and lawmakers such as Fitzpatrick.
“Frankly, it’s the kind of outdated thinking that’s no longer useful in Congress. It’s just another reason why it’s time to make a change,” she said.
In 2011, supporters of a similar version of the bill were forced to remove the term “forcible rape” after coming under fire from pro-choice activists.
“This legislation seems harmless until you realize that it would allow the IRS to pry into the personal lives of women across the 8th district and around the country,” Naughton said. “Do we really want the IRS digging further into our private business? This bill was a fiasco from the start. Eighth district residents deserve someone who will stand up for their rights — not a congressman who sides with government time and time again.”
The Democratic-controlled Senate is not expected to consider the measure, and President Barack Obama would almost surely veto it.
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In news from the Democratic campaign for governor, former state Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Katie McGinty ran 30-second television commercials on CNN and MSNBC throughout Pennsylvania before and after President Obama’s State of the Union address.
In the commercial, McGinty says, “I grew up in a household where hard work was the order of the day. My dad was a policeman, and my mom worked nights in a restaurant. And all 10 of us kids understood the value of hard work. We had a good middle-class life.
“My concern today is that hard-working men and women are not able to offer that same promise for their children. That’s why we need good jobs, with good pay, that provide a bright opportunity and future for Pennsylvanians.”
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State Treasurer Rob McCord, another Democratic candidate for governor, was endorsed by the Laborers’ District Council of the Metropolitan Area of Philadelphia and Vicinity.
The union has about 5,000 members in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties.
“We need a champion like State Treasurer Rob McCord as governor in Harrisburg because he understands working families in Pennsylvania and the sacrifices it takes them to make ends meet,” said Dennis L. Martire, vice president and regional manager of the Laborers’ International Union of North America. “Rob has walked in the shoes of working people and understands how regular people struggle. He will do all that he can to improve their lives with good public policy because he has created thousands of jobs in the private sector, which gives him a unique perspective. We endorse him with enthusiasm as he continues to travel the state and appeal to middle-class families.”
