Scott Wallace released a statement following the announcement from Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos that she is considering using federal funding to buy firearms for teachers
By Tom Waring
The Times
Scott Wallace, the Democratic nominee in the 1st Congressional District, released a statement following the announcement from Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos that she is considering using federal funding to buy firearms for teachers.
Wallace said, “The idea of arming teachers with firearms to combat gun violence in schools is idiotic. We should be making it harder for dangerous people to access weapons, not putting those weapons in the hands of educators and expecting them to stop an active shooter. This funding should be used for boosting our public schools, not weaponizing them — our schools already lack adequate funding and a majority of teachers are underpaid and overworked.
“Once again, (Rep. Brian) Fitzpatrick is silent on a dangerous and irresponsible move by the Trump administration that the people of Bucks and Montgomery counties deeply reject. Let’s face it, Fitzpatrick cannot be trusted to take action on gun violence. To moms and students demanding action on guns, he says we should ‘stop at nothing’ to protect our kids, but to conservatives, he embraces some of the most extreme gun-rights measures — like concealed carry reciprocity, which is the NRA’s top legislative priority and would force Pennsylvania to allow people from other states to carry concealed, loaded guns in our communities. And he refuses to cosponsor legislation to ban military assault weapons.”
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Scott Wallace is criticizing Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick after he was endorsed by the Tea Party Express.
Wallace believes the group is extreme because it wants to repeal Obamacare, defund Planned Parenthood and weaken environmental regulations.
Tea Party Express chief strategist Sal Russo said, “Levittown native Brian Fitzpatrick is committed to fixing a broken Washington. On his very first day in office, he put forth a bold government reform plan that challenged the career politicians in Washington: term limits for members of Congress, pass a budget or don’t get paid, and balance the budget. Prior to his election to Congress, Congressman Fitzpatrick had a long and distinguished career in law enforcement in which he served as national director of the FBI’s Campaign Finance and Election Crimes Enforcement Program and was the Special Assistant U.S. Attorney prosecuting violent gun and drug offenders. He has been nationally recognized for his efforts to uphold the rule of law, fight terrorism and combat the opioid crisis.”
Wallace had a different take.
“Finally, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick is getting the recognition he deserves for working so hard to strip health care from working families, defund Planned Parenthood and dismantle the regulations that protect our clean air and water,” he said. “Voters in PA-01 are tired of rising health care costs, inaction on climate change and drinking dirty water — they deserve a representative who will protect their values and stand up to Republican extremists and the Trump administration.”
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The American Federation of Government Employees has endorsed U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick for re-election in the 1st Congressional District.
“I am honored to know that those responsible for maintaining the success of our government organizations are endorsing me to represent them in the U.S. House of Representatives. The members of AFGE play important roles in maintaining the safety and quality of our local Bucks and Montgomery County communities, including taking care of our veterans and making sure our residents receive their Social Security benefits. I promise to continue my strong representation of their interests in legislation that impacts them and their family members,” Fitzpatrick said.
AFGE District 3 National Vice President Philip Glover, in a press release last week, said, “As a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, Congressman Fitzpatrick fought to preserve federal employees’ workplace rights and protections. He met with federal correctional officers and advocates to discuss needed prison safety reforms. He cosponsored bipartisan legislation to restore due process and whistleblower rights to 360,000 working people across the Department of Veterans Affairs. He led a coalition of 21 House Republicans who called on President Trump to rescind three executive orders, since ruled illegal, that seek to gut federal employees’ collective bargaining rights. And he has helped amplify our issues and concerns with members of Congress who we might not reach otherwise.” ••
