A little more than 18 years after he was first elected to the U.S. Senate, Bob Casey took to the floor for the final time Wednesday for a farewell speech.
"I rise today for the final time as a United States senator with a heart full of gratitude," Casey said.
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During his more than 20-minute speech, which came more than a month after his loss to Republican Dave McCormick by just 15,000 votes, Casey reflected on his career in public service, accomplishments and the challenges he believes the chamber will face in the future.
Casey said his mother, the late Ellen Harding Casey, often reminded him to "count your blessings" and thanked Pennsylvanians for electing him to public office for nearly three decades.
Casey, son of the late Gov. Bob Casey, has been in public office for 28 consecutive years: as state auditor general, state treasurer, and U.S. senator. He cruised to victory in 2006 over incumbent GOP U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum and served three terms in the chamber.
Casey, the longest serving Democratic senator in Pennsylvania history, thanked his family, the men and women behind the scenes in the U.S. Senate, and the Capitol police officers, saying many of them "will never get the commendation or credit you deserve, but the work you do is vital and is a great service to our nation."
"I'm proud of the work we've done together on behalf of the people of Pennsylvania to fight for our children, our seniors, people with disabilities, our veterans and our workers," Casey said.
Among other pieces of legislation he mentioned, he called the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act, more commonly known as the ABLE Act, one of his biggest accomplishments.
"Before ABLE, people with disabilities could not save more than $2,000 without risking access to their federal benefits – forcing many people with disabilities into a permanent state of poverty," Casey said.
Casey also cited his work passing the Campus SAVE Act in 2013, which puts more responsibility on colleges and universities to prevent sexual assault on campuses, and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act passed in 2022 aimed at providing pregnant women with "reasonable accommodations" while they continue to work.
As a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Casey authored a law to improve school nutrition, adding that nearly 68% of American school districts now offer free meals. He worked with Republicans to reauthorize the Global Food Security Act to combat food insecurity.
Casey also cited legislation to make airplane cockpits safer and reducing the number of IEDs that were killing and wounding U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
Casey also pointed to challenges ahead for the nation, including "combating climate change and gun violence and the opioid crisis, lowering costs for families, providing home and community based services for seniors and people with disabilities," as well as a looming vote next year on tax legislation.
"There's a big moment in 2025, a tax bill. I won't be here for it, but that tax debate will be a critical moment for American families," Casey said. "Congress will decide whether to help middle class and low income families, people striving to get to the middle class, or to continue what I would argue is a 40-year trend to provide substantial tax benefits to the largest corporations on the planet Earth and the wealthiest Americans."
"I hope that the Senate will act to help the middle class and those striving to get to the middle class," Casey added, while also saying the Senate should make sure the Child Tax Credit is also passed and fully refundable.
On foreign policy, Casey called China "not just a competitor, it's an economic adversary," saying the United States must continue to confront China "head on."
"I've often said that when China cheats, Pennsylvania loses jobs," Casey said, while touting the legislation he's authored over the years to crack down on China's trade tactics.
Casey said the Senate and the American people have to make a choice between dictators and democracy and said it was important to continue supporting Ukraine.
He said that Americans must "continue to support the people of Ukraine and their consequential war with a murderous dictator, Vladimir Putin."
"Our nation has generously supported the Ukrainian military. We cannot stop," Casey said. "Abandoning them now undermines freedom-loving people all over the world."
Senate colleagues thank Casey
Following Casey's speech, several Democratic senators hung around to deliver speeches on the floor thanking him for his service.
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), wearing a suit and tie for the occasion, praised his colleague for his leadership and friendship. "I will confirm that Bob Casey is Pennsylvania's best senator," Fetterman said.
"Bob was by my side when I had a stroke. He lent me his voice when I was learning how to speak again," Fetterman said. "I never forgot that."
He also added that Casey served as a mentor for him after he was elected to the U.S. Senate and during a difficult time in his life.
After McCormick is sworn in, Fetterman will become Pennsylvania's senior senator, making it the first time since 2010 that Casey has not occupied that role.
With Casey sitting beside him, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), who was also elected to the U.S. Senate alongside Casey in 2006 and lost his bid for reelection in 2024, said that Brown's staff worked with Casey's more than any other in the Senate.
"Nobody in this body has focused their work on children as much as Bob Casey, and it's the Child Tax Credit, for sure, but it's so many other things," Brown said. "For disabled kids, for giving kids from Erie to Sharon to Philly to Bucks County, giving them more opportunity in life than they otherwise would have had."
Brown also said Casey possessed an "uncommon kindness" and humility that was rare in the U.S. Senate and benefited his constituents.
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), who was also first elected to the Senate with Casey in 2006, said Casey is trustworthy.
"And that way, he's been to me like a brother I never had," Klobuchar said.
U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) called Casey humble and unassuming, but a fighter for the causes he believed in.
"I have never campaigned harder for a colleague. I have never been more disappointed at an outcome, and it has never seemed more unjust to me than the days we must face ahead without this son of Scranton who has not just counted his blessings before us today, but who has been a blessing to us every single day," Coons said.
Reps. Wild and Cartwright say goodbye to the U.S. House
House Democrat Susan Wild also made a farewell speech on Wednesday. Wild, a three-term Representative of the 7th District, was first elected during a blue wave in 2018, but was defeated by Republican Ryan Mackenzie in November as the country conversely shifted towards conservatives.
"I grew up in a true bipartisan household," Wild said, with a Republican father and a Democratic mother. "I am most proud, I think, of having put the greater Lehigh Valley on the map of folks here in D.C. … And I am proud to have had huge returns for the greater Lehigh Valley during the past six years."
Wild noted the accomplishments she's been most proud of – lowering the cost of prescription drugs, raising awareness around mental health issues, and passing the CHIPS act, which has spurred private sector investment in manufacturing across the country, including in the Lehigh Valley.
But Wild also left her colleagues with a warning.
"Most of all, we need to work on campaign finance reform," she said. "This past election, in my district alone, the race cost a total of $38 million. For one congressional race, that is obscene."
According to the non-partisan money-in-politics tracker, OpenSecrets, the majority of that money came from outside spending. While there are laws limiting how much individual donors can give to a candidate's campaign, outside spending groups like super PACs can raise and spend unlimited sums in favor of their preferred candidates. In some cases, they do not have to disclose where that comes from.
Pennsylvania's 7th District saw more outside spending than all but seven House races in the 2024 election.
"Imagine all the good that can be done with that (money)," Wild said.
On Tuesday, 8th District Democratic U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright also gave a parting speech after serving 12 years in the House. Cartwright was defeated in November by Republican Robert Breshnahan in the race to represent the northeast Pennsylvania District that includes Scranton.
"When I was elected, I vowed to be an effective legislator, Somebody who would put aside politics for party, and work across the aisle to pass meaningful legislation to the lives, not just of my constituents back home, but of all Americans," Cartwright said.
Cartwrighted cited legislation he sponsored that was passed during the last three presidential administrations. Some of those bills, he said, protect veterans, preserve the environment and curb government waste. Cartwright also noted his success securing funding to restore train service between Scranton and New York City through the 2021 infrastructure bill.
"I've seen it all here in 12 years," Cartwright said. "I've observed Olympic-caliber levels of obsequiousness, but I've also served with the best people I've ever met in my life."
Both Wild and Cartwright thanked their families and staff members both in their districts and in Washington, D.C.
The next congressional term will begin on Jan. 3, with Republican majorities in both the House and Senate.
Pennsylvania Capital-Star is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Pennsylvania Capital-Star maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kim Lyons for questions: info@penncapital-star.com.