WASHINGTON, D.C. - In his farewell address Thursday, U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey repudiated former President Donald Trump and many of his policies.
Toomey, perhaps the most powerful politician in the Lehigh Valley's history, made a wide-ranging speech that touched on everything from answering constituent calls to setting monetary policy.
- U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey made his farewell address Thursday as he nears the end of his term
- Toomey called the 2017 passage of tax reform the highlight of his congressional career
- Without mentioning former President Trump by name, Toomey urged his Republican colleagues not to be 'beholden to one man'
But toward the end of his address, the retiring Republican spoke directly to his fellow GOP lawmakers and urged them to stick to the tenets of fiscal conservatism, instead of being "beholden to one man." Without mentioning Trump by name, Toomey said the Republican Party's center-right coalition is bigger than isolationist, nativist and protectionist policies some within the party are calling for.
"I think those are inconsistent with the core values of the majority of the people in this coalition. More important, I think those ideas lead to bad outcomes for our country," Toomey said.
Before and after his address, his fellow senators described Toomey as a collegial economist who was energized by debates about fiscal policies.
"Pat's commanding mastery of economic issues have had a massive, massive impact on his state and his country," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said, praising him as an essential part of the team that created the tax reforms of 2017.
Toomey, of Zionsville in Lehigh County, called the tax bill the highlight of his time in Congress — three terms as a U.S. representative for the Lehigh Valley and two as Pennsylvania's junior senator. He credited the new tax code with creating the best economy of his lifetime before the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite doubts from Democrats, he said, the bill has created better-than-anticipated tax revenues for the nation.
"The data is in, and it's really good," Toomey said.
Much of Toomey's speech was spent thanking his family, staff, campaign volunteers and congressional colleagues for their support. But he also spent a significant amount of time urging his fellow lawmakers to find ways to make the Senate more productive.
The Senate has already become hyper-partisan, but he warned it would get only worse if lawmakers took steps to end the filibuster. The rule requires senators to reach a supermajority of 60 votes to pass legislation. Democrats have debated ending the practice in order to pass legislation in the narrowly-divided chamber.
Toomey acknowledged the country is facing numerous challenges — threats abroad in China and Russia, high inflation and political divisiveness. However, he said America remains the greatest nation in the world thanks in no small part to the economic opportunities the nation provides its people.
"Despite our challenges, I'm extremely bullish on America, and I think my optimism is easily justified by our history," said the 61-year-old Toomey.
He is just the second Lehigh Valley resident to serve in the U.S. Senate. The other was Richard Broadhead, of Easton, who served a single term in the 1850s.
Toomey's background
A successful investor from Rhode Island, Toomey moved to the Lehigh Valley in the early 1990s to open an Allentown restaurant with his brothers. The conservative made his first foray into politics in 1994 when he was elected to the Allentown Government Study Commission, which rewrote the city's Home Rule Charter. Although a relative newcomer to the city, he quickly took a leading role on the commission.
In 1998, he campaigned for the Lehigh Valley's open congressional seat. He emerged from a crowded field while running as a small-government conservative who called for abolishing the IRS.
After serving three terms in the House, he challenged Sen. Arlen Specter in the 2004 Republican primary. Toomey attacked the four-term incumbent from the right, making the case that Specter's record was too liberal for Republican voters. Toomey narrowly lost the race, but his campaign galvanized conservatives. Specter went on to change parties, but Toomey became the state's junior senator in 2011.
In the Senate, Toomey has taken a leading role on fiscal matters and serves as ranking Republican on the Committee for Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. In recent years, he's been a vocal advocate for regulating cryptocurrencies.
But just as Toomey entered the Senate by attacking the incumbent from the right, local conservatives have accused him of being out of step with Republican voters.
After the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn., he led efforts to expand background checks on firearm purchases. The effort failed to pass and cost him the endorsement of the NRA.
Following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, Toomey was one of just seven Republicans who voted to impeach Trump. The decision incensed Republicans across the state, and the Lehigh Valley's local Republican committees voted to censure him. Toomey has stood firm by his decision, saying that while he supported many of Trump's fiscal policies, his actions threatened American democracy.
“His betrayal of the Constitution and his oath of office required conviction," Toomey said in a statement following the vote.
He chose not to seek re-election and has not elaborated on any future work plans.
U.S. Senator-elect John Fetterman, a Democrat who defeated celebrity heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz in the 2022 midterm election, will take Toomey's seat in the Senate.
