The Russian assault on Ukraine has drawn a swift response from Pennsylvania’s representatives in Washington, as some in Congress call for added sanctions on Russia and more weapons for Ukrainian troops.
For some, Pennsylvania holds special ties to the country, as host to one of the nation’s largest ethnic Ukrainian populations. Others cite a more conventional motive: Pennsylvania’s natural gas reserves could serve as a replacement for nations cut off from Russia’s massive supply.
Either way, with Russian troops driving into the country and Western powers preparing for waves of refugees, lawmakers here could play a major role in the United States’ next steps.
“Our first priority is the safety and security of the American people, especially American troops and Americans in Ukraine, but we will do all that we can to support the Ukrainian people in the face of President Putin’s unprovoked attack,” U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., said Wednesday as Russian troops readied their offensive.
U.S. Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-15th District, called on the U.S. to join its allies in imposing economic sanctions.
“Unanswered, these actions will only further embolden dictators like Putin and other regimes around the world,” Thompson said.
A flurry of legislation — from non-binding resolutions of support to multimillion-dollar arms packages — has made its way through Congress in recent weeks. But with full-scale war underway, some congressional leaders have called for far more.
On Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called for $600 million in arms and ammunition to be approved for Ukrainian forces.
As the U.S. and its European allies approved new sanctions targeting Russia’s economy, concerns remained that fuel could be harder to come by. Russian natural gas heats and powers much of Europe.
That means that, for some in the state’s shale district, the deadly crisis is an opportunity to build up energy extraction.
“Amidst the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, President Biden recently promised to supply energy to our European allies, with the aim of reducing the region’s dependence on Russian natural gas,” U.S. Rep. Fred Keller, R-12th District, said on Twitter. “If Biden is serious about lowering energy costs and diminishing Russia’s power, he must expedite approval of U.S. energy infrastructure, including pipelines and liquified natural gas export facilities, and allow the U.S. to be the lowest-cost provider of clean energy at home and abroad.”
Rep. calls for clear school bags
A Philadelphia lawmaker aims to set policies requiring clear backpacks at middle and high schools statewide, following a wave of policies already taking effect across Pennsylvania.
In a memo this week, state Rep. Angel Cruz, D-Philadelphia, said he intends to propose a bill requiring every school board to implement a clear-backpack policy. While Cruz didn’t specify the scope or details of the proposed policies, several prominent districts could serve as examples.
Cruz specifically cited Altoona Area School District, which began mandating transparent backpacks last fall. With scores of school shootings in the U.S. each year, the policies’ advocates say they leave students more at ease and make school security simpler.
“Measures to identify and confiscate weapons, including metal detectors and single points of entry, can be helpful but do not deter school violence alone,” Cruz wrote. “As weapons continue to slip through in schools nationwide, we must take every step necessary to fortify existing school safety measures.”
GOP protests latest map rulings
Pennsylvania’s new, court-approved congressional map draws a handful of GOP representatives into possible conflict — and it’s not the only map that could raise concern from conservatives.
Judicial panels in both Pennsylvania and North Carolina set new congressional boundaries this week, dashing conservatives’ hopes for friendlier maps in both states. Lawmakers all over the U.S. have rushed to draw new maps — some with borders favoring the party in charge — and divided states like Pennsylvania have left the outcome to last-minute court decisions.
Pennsylvania’s new map is expected to roughly hew to the state’s partisan divide, although with one prior seat eliminated. It’s the second map in the past decade to be ordered by the state Supreme Court after a partisan deadlock in Harrisburg.
The new boundaries leave Keller of the 12th District in the same new region as Thompson of the 15th District. That could mean a game of musical chairs for the remaining GOP-friendly seats in central and northern Pennsylvania.
While the new map doesn’t appear to award Democrats any significant partisan edge, GOP lawmakers complained that it passed only because Gov. Tom Wolf and the state Supreme Court went rogue.
“The process for creating district lines is clearly defined, and even if the governor refused to follow the process, it does not allow the courts to just pick and choose when or when not to follow the law,” House Speaker Bryan Cutler, R-Lancaster, and Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff, R-Centre, said in a joint statement. “Sadly, candidates and voters must now submit to a unilateral court that sees itself above every person in our commonwealth.”
The Associated Press reported Wednesday that Keller intends to move and run against Dan Meuser, the incumbent Republican for the 9th District, for the Republican nomination.
Ryan Brown covers statewide politics for Ogden Newspapers. He can be reached at rbrown@altoonamirror.com.