Rep. Lou Barletta Senate Campaign: ‘Will Sen. Casey Vote to Shut the Government Down?’

Rep. Lou Barletta’s (R-PA) campaign asked Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) on Thursday whether he plans to shut down the government to the detriment of our miliary and veterans.  

Rep. Barletta deputy campaign manager Jon Anzur said in a statement:

Now that Lou Barletta and his colleagues in the House have voted to keep the government open, the ball is in the Senate’s court. Will Senator Casey do his job and vote to keep the government open? Or, will Senator Casey vote to shut the government down and deny funding for our military, veterans, seniors, and the longest extension of health insurance for children ever? Senator Casey claims to support the children’s health insurance program. Is he really going to vote against the longest extension in the children’s health insurance program’s history?

The short-term funding bill, which passed through the House on Thursday night, would fund the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for six years and delay several Obamacare taxes.

Congressman Barletta, who hopes to  challenge Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) in the 2018 midterm election, cheered the short-term spending bill’s passage through the House on Thursday night, saying:

Though I continue to support a long-term solution for the budget, it has been a top priority of mine to ensure that the 180,000 Pennsylvania kids enrolled in the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) get a long-term fix.  Along with keeping the government open, funding our military, eliminating costly taxes on medical devices and health insurance, the legislation contained the largest extension of CHIP in history.  My hope now is that the Senate will do their duty to keep the government open.  Threatening a government shutdown to provide amnesty for people who are in this country illegally is not in the best interest of Americans.  In fact, I think the American people will be furious.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) chided Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), blaming Schumer in the event of a government shutdown this upcoming weekend.

“Either we stay open or we have a Schumer shutdown,” McCarthy said.