In a clearly politically motivated snub, President Donald Trump left Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) off the invite list to a signing ceremony for a bill of which Casey is one of the original sponsors. To add insult to injury, Trump will also head out to Pennsylvania this week to bolster Casey’s lagging opponent, Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA).
As first reported by the Harrisburg Patriot-News, Casey was the primary sponsor on the first update to the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act since 2006. The entire bipartisan cohort who worked on the bill — including Sens. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) — was invited; only Casey was passed over.
“While it is disappointing the White House chose to play politics with this bill signing, Senator Casey is pleased he was able to work in a bipartisan fashion to reauthorize this important legislation for the first time in 12 years, ensuring students and workers have the skills they need to get family-sustaining jobs,” said Casey press secretary Jacklin Rhoads in a statement to TPM.
Trump is slated to head to the Keystone State on Thursday to campaign for Barletta as part of his vigorous rally schedule.
