For the second year in a row, Pa. Senators will demonstrate bipartisan cooperation at the State of the Union address.
Senators Bob Casey and Pat Toomey say they will sit next to each other when President Barack Obama delivers his annual address to a joint session of the U.S. House and Senate on Tuesday evening.
“I look forward to sitting next to Senator Toomey at this year’s State of the Union address and to continuing our work on behalf of the Commonwealth in the spirit of bipartisanship throughout the year,” Sen. Casey said in a press statement on Wednesday.
Democrats and Republicans usually sit with members of their parties during the annual speech in the House chamber. But some lawmakers broke that tradition last year amid calls for more civility in Congress and less partisanship after the shooting of Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.
Toomey, a Republican, says that sitting next to Casey, a Democrat, is a small, but worthwhile step toward setting a civil and cooperative tone for the challenging work ahead of Congress.
"As the second session of the 112th Congress begins, sitting next to each other is a small but worthwhile step toward setting a civil and cooperative tone for the challenging work ahead of us," said Sen. Toomey.
“Pennsylvanians want their lawmakers to work together to solve problems,” said Casey.
