Toomey vows: 'I will not be a rubber stamp' for Trump
Two days after narrowly winning reelection, Sen. Pat Toomey on Thursday laid out goals for his new term, including repealing Obamacare, restoring sanctions on Iran, and instituting tax reform - but said he still has reservations about President-elect Donald Trump.
Two days after narrowly winning reelection, Sen. Pat Toomey on Thursday laid out goals for his new term, including repealing Obamacare, restoring sanctions on Iran, and instituting tax reform - but said he still has reservations about President-elect Donald Trump.
During a briefing with reporters at his campaign office in Montgomery County, Toomey said he and Republican colleagues plan to look for ways to "relate" to Trump when they return to Washington next week.
"There will be times when I disagree with Donald Trump," he said, "and when I disagree I will say so. I will not be a rubber stamp for anyone."
Possibly boosted by the wave that carried the Republican presidential nominee to victory, Toomey won a second term with a two-point win over Democrat Katie McGinty.
During the campaign, the Republican incumbent wouldn't say if Trump would get his vote on Election Day, saying he had been unpersuaded by the nominee. Just before 7 p.m. Tuesday, Toomey emerged from a voting booth and said he had decided to cast a ballot for Trump, despite reservations, to further a conservative agenda.
Toomey said he hopes Trump will rescind many of President Obama's executive orders and nominate a Supreme Court justice when his term begins. Legislation from Congress, Toomey said, will take longer.
Repealing Obamacare is perhaps the top Republican priority. Toomey said it is important not to "pull the rug out from under" people currently on insurance for Obamacare.
The senator said he hopes to have a transition plan "that goes into effect as quickly as it can and leads us to a marketplace for health care driven by consumers and not bureaucrats."
He said that voters should not expect a Republican version of Obamacare but that he would consider measures such as creating subsidies to help people with preexisting conditions.
A key part of Toomey's platform has been tax reform, which he touted Thursday, along with reducing regulations and ending corporate welfare, as his vision for economic growth.
"If we can make real progress in these things, I am absolutely convinced we can have the kind of economic recovery we've been waiting for," he said.
Toomey, who cast himself as a moderate and relied heavily on his bipartisan background-check bill in his campaign, also said he would continue to work across the aisle. Gun background checks are still a priority, he said.
He urged citizens to heed the calls this week from Trump, Hillary Clinton, and Obama to unite after a divisive election.
"What's important now is that we continue to debate our policy ideas with civility ... [and] find common ground," he said.
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