Cspan, your unfiltered view of government. Created by americas Cable Television company as a Public Service and brought to you today by your television provider. Next, pennsylvania senator bob casey and pat toomey on the Election Results and what they mean for the commonwealth. They join an event hosted by the Washington Post, looking at the Trump Campaigns legal challenges and the biden transition. This runs about 45 minutes. My home state, pennsylvania. We are joined by senator pat toomey and senator bob casey in a moment. Two senators from pennsylvania. First, the headlines. Georgia is heating up. The secretary of state announced a hand recount. President biden is up in the votes. That is going to be a state that everyone in this country will have their eyes on between now and the january 5 runoff. Speaker pelosi meanwhile in the house remains in charge. Challengended off no despite democrats losing seats in the house of representatives. It is a testament to her power. Its also a sign democrats were ambitious who were ambitious in the house are probably going to wait it out until pelosi decides to retire at one point. When you lose seats, usually there is a leadership challenge. Not this time. Finally, biden and Prime MinisterBoris Johnson had a phone call that was productive. Boris johnson spoke to the house of commons in recent hours and said it was a productive call. He also notably referred to President Trump as the former president. It is an acknowledgment from one of our top allies, the u. K. , that they have moved on, even though President Trump has not. He has refused to concede. Lets bring and bo bring in senator bob casey of pennsylvania, a democrat, a longtime leader in the state of pennsylvania. He has been in the senate now for quite some time. Senator casey, from the scranton area of pennsylvania. Great to have you here. Beingr casey, i remember with you in scranton in 2017 right after President Trump was elected. Even then, we were talking about 2020. Pennsylvania was going to be a key state in the campaign. As you look at the results and reflect on the past campaign, where is pennsylvania right now politically speaking . Sen. Casey it is very much a close estate as we can tell by the Election Results. Donald trump won in 2016 by 0. 7 . 44,292. I memorized that number. But now joe biden is winning by a similar margin, as we speak, on the unofficial count. About 47,000. That will grow and could hit as high as 80,000. It is a close state. What we have to recognize that Going Forward. We have to learn a lot on our side from 2020 if we are going to get ready for the 2022 election coming up, where we have a governors race for an open seat, as well as an open seat for the u. S. Senate with senator toomey saying he is not going to run. That is significant that we have a lot at stake in 2022. I am grateful the people of pennsylvania elected joe biden, because you can see in his campaign, he followed the strategy, which i and others thought was necessary to win the state. We are happy about that. You mentioned 2022. Longtime pennsylvania political observers have said senator casey might want to be governor himself. Are you in any way thinking about a run for governor in 2022 . Sen. Casey im not. Im very happy with the work i am doing in the senate. I am blessed to have the chance to serve another term. I want to concentrate my work not just on the work i do on behalf of the people of pennsylvania, but also to help joe biden succeed, because if he succeeds, then i think the nation and our commonwealth will be better off. Bob could you ever see yourself running for governor down the line leader in your career . Sen. Casey i just turned 60 years old this year. David lawrence was about 68 when he got elected governor. Theres always inspiration out there. [laughter] bob president elect biden is from scranton. Are you privately pushing for the president ial library down the line to be in scranton, pennsylvania rather than delaware . Sen. Casey we have not gotten that far down the road. We are still at 47000 and the margin is still climbing. We at least want to certify the results before we talk about a president ial library. When you consider the issues that joe biden talked about, it set forth a real detailed plan. The virus, and jobs, the economic ditch we are in, you can see those challenges right here in pennsylvania. Number one, we still have a very high Unemployment Rate. September, 518,000 people out of work. A little more than a percent. 8 . That is low from where it was in april through august. Secondly, we have a raging virus. Numbers going way up in pennsylvania. 243,000 cases roughly and more than 9,000 deaths. Just in pennsylvania, you can see the challenges that confront the new administration. Bob is a stimulus package going to be the First Priority for President Biden . Sen. Casey i hope it does not have to be his First Priority upon taking office. I hope we can get something done this month or in december. I think that is what we should try to do. When i say something, i mean something robust. Something substantial. Not just a limited scaled down proposal that leader mcconnell has set forth. Bold, robust, relief strategy, relief bill. Real strategy, a to get the nursing home and case number and deaths down. Over 91,000 people have died in nursing homes. That is an abomination. A failure for the greatest country in the world. 91,000 represents resident deaths as well as worker deaths, we have to get that down. I have a strategy to do that if we fund it. Secondly, communities of color need help in this pandemic. They have been disproportionately affected by case numbers and death numbers. That means a big boost to medicaid to make sure we have coverage for those americans. And certainly people with disabilities are a vulnerable group. They suffered disproportionately. We need to make sure there are options for seniors and people with disabilities to get them help in home or communitybased settings. That is leading out Food Assistance and state and local government help. You can see how big this has to be to provide the relief that we need. I hope we can get it done this month or next. Bob President Trump and his campaign are mounting legal challenges in pennsylvania. You are as plugged in as anybody with the state legislature, the democrats and the republicans. Do you think there is any movement afoot to change how pennsylvania sends its electors to the Electoral College . Sen. Casey there is no doubt that is a strategy of the trump team. There is no question about that. I think they will try to solicit support from republican elected officials and others in our state. I think that is a pretty steep hill to climb. I was heartened that some state republican legislative leaders have already said that they are going to follow the law and the Electoral College. But i put nothing past the trump team, because they are both desperate and defeated. They will try anything to try to change the rules and even break the law to win. Bob how would they do that . Sen. Casey somehow, to try to undermine the existing laws in the Electoral College and try to get people to vote a different way than their electoral standing would require them to vote. But of course, they are already lying over and over again. The president has lied about voter fraud and all the rest. We know there is no widespread voter fraud across the country. There is certainly none of that in pennsylvania. They will keep trying. So far, on their lawsuit and legal actions, they have not won a single one. I think they will continue to lose as joe biden is elected. It is just a matter of time before the election is validated by way of the Electoral College. Bob when youre talking with your colleagues in the senate, and maybe even some republicans command they see the secretary of defense terminated, they see different intelligence officials being put in who are trump intelligenceo key positions, what is their impression and what do they think is really going on with this president and this administration in the lameduck period . Sen. Casey on the democratic side, there is great concern. We are not surprised by that. I think there is probably also significant concern on the republican side. I have not had a chance to engage with republican senators yet. We only got back just on monday. But i wish republican senators would stand up and tell the truth about what happened here. Joe biden was elected president. He is the president elect. The faster that the transition is able to kick into gear fully, especially as it relates to our National Security, his team, he and his team should be Getting National security briefings at the rate and at the depth that every other former president elect has been getting. That has not happened yet. It puts us at risk. It just shows you the lengths donald trump will go to undermine our National Security. Andpe republican senators house members would say to the white house, you have got to do a barehave got to at minimum to provide the National Security briefing. So that we do not have a gap Going Forward. We know our adversaries are looking for those kinds of gaps. We cant afford that. Bob what happens if President Trump refuses to concede and the Government Services administration does not formalize a transition until after the election is certified in congress . Is there anything you could do in the senate to prod that alon g, or are your hands tied . Sen. Casey im not aware of anything except leader mcconnell got his caucus to unify and come together on maybe passing a statute or an amendment that would mandate that kind of action being taken by the administration. Absent that, im not sure there is anything in the near term the senate could do. I think the ball is in the court of the Senate Majority on that. But i am hoping more rational voices in the administration will allow that part of the process to go forward. It does not make any sense. It does not benefit anyone if this process is dragged out. Bob what is your view if the of the georgia runoff races on january 5 . Do democrats actually have a shot . Sen. Casey i think they do. My analysis here is pretty limited. Not much more than very limited in the sense i dont think i can offer any more than anyone else could. But the fact that joe biden looks like he is going to win georgia, or come close, i think it is a good harbinger for the two senate races, the runoff. I cant go below that depth because i was so immersed in pennsylvania. I think it is pretty remarkable whats happened in the president ial race in georgia. I think that provides a really Good Foundation for the senate races. Stacey abrams and so many others who work here for so many years, especially the last couple of years, i think their work has borne a lot of truth. Bob what does the senate look like in 2021 . Knowing you may like to see some bipartisanship and all that, what is the reality if it is majority leader mcconnell . Does anything get done beyond keeping the government open and passing budget bills, or do you have a real confidence a big ticket item could be achieved . Sen. Casey it is of a sleigh a lot better off if we win the two seats in georgia and we have a 5050 tie and effectively have the majority. We want to get things done. We want to tackle the virus. We want to jump start the economy. We want to expand health care, confront climate change. So much weve got to do. If we are in the minority, even if it is narrow, that will be difficult for the country, because leader mcconnell seems to believe by virtue of the last couple years, especially the last two or three years that the , senate is a nomination machine and little else. I think the moment we are in, the actions by the senate should meet the moment we are in. Which means we have to tackle some really big problems. I am hoping that because joe biden will engage with Senate Republicans and we will try every day to work with leader mcconnell, if he is a majority leader, we dont know that yet, we can make some progress. Our country faces the kind of challenges that i dont think any new administration has faced since march of 1933, when fdr took the oath of office. Bob who are the kind of people you would like to see in the cabinet . Can you offer any names you would like to see as part of the Biden Cabinet . Sen. Casey i dont want to try to make any news on that, because it would be speculation. Bob we welcome that here. [laughter] sen. Casey i know you do. Has you are a senator who a feel of what could get done. You are more of a centrist on different issues. Sen. Casey i feel president elect biden is going to have a great team around him. Part of that is his years in the senate. He knows talent, he knows the confirmation process. His years as Vice President obviously offer another layer of experience about what has to get done early, Lessons Learned from the early days of 2009, so i think hes im not going to give him advice on the people he should have in his cabinet, but obviously, the confirmation process will be more difficult if republicans maintain the majority. I think he will get a good team around him. One thing about president elect biden is he is not going to be afraid to surround himself with the kind of strength and substantial figures that some president s dont like around. Some president s have insecurity about them. They dont like people in the cabinet that might outshine them on particular days. I think joe biden is going to get the best talent available, whether or not that means bob but hes got decisions to make. I will be more specific. Secretary of state, do you go with ambassador susan rice or your colleague from delaware, senator chris combs . Combs would be an easier nomination than ambassador rice. He could nominate elizabeth warren. Choices have to be made. For republicans, it could be a ripe fight if a liberal is nominated. Those are the dynamics from my itch, but maybe you see differently. Sen. Casey there is no question. The predicate to those kinds of comparisons will be who has control of the senate. We still have two races to settle in georgia. We could be at a 5050 tie, then we have Kamala Harris breaking harris as Vice President to break ties. We will wait to see what happens. Im not going to name names. That would get everyone in trouble, including me. Bob lets be clear, senator casey, are you open to being in the cabinet, or not . Sen. Casey i am very happy with the work i have to do in the senate. Bob you mentioned the lessons of 2009. I think back to that period, as a reporter, covering the Affordable Care act. Do you think because congress is so narrowly divided, do you think president elect biden should put off pursuing a public option for health care for a year or two . Sen. Casey i dont think so. I think we should do everything we can to expand health care. Even if we get another decision from the supreme court. I am hoping the Affordable Care act will be upheld. I hope it is upheld. I think we should pursue any strategy, any option to expand coverage. I think we learned a couple of things in the obama administration. The recovery act was a little too small. We were trying to get republican votes. I think you have to make any new Jobs Initiative big and bold. I will be announcing a new deal style jobs program. Number two, i think you have to, at some point, if the majority is not an republican hands, when joe biden puts out his hand and Mitch Mcconnell bites his hands, you have to move on and either schedule a vote and spend some time on the road and drum up support and pressure and make it more painful when republicans block things. All of those lessons i think are difficult to implement, but i think we learned a lot in the first couple of years of the obama administration. Bob what is your concern, if any, about what is happening in philadelphia . The president has been relentless in his attacks on election officials, local officials in philadelphia, about the election. Do you believe it could cause unrest or even Something Else . Sen. Casey i dont think that is going to happen. I would be surprised if that happened. Because he has tried it before. And there was not that kind of voter intimidation at the polls with firearms and the like. What the president is doing in philadelphia is not about votes or anything having to do about the election. Its racism. He is engaged in a racist attack on philadelphia. It is a continuation of what hes done over and over again. The bad news for the president is, mr. Schmidt, the Republican City commissioner, has reported now that there is nothing wrong with the vote in philadelphia, there is no voter fraud. That is consistent with all the reporting. Try as the president might, hes not going to be successful in either convincing people that there is voter fraud or in overturning the results of the election. Joe biden won pennsylvania and that vote margin keeps growing. Bob where is the catholic vote in pennsylvania . As a catholic yourself, president elect biden a catholic from scranton, pennsylvania, like you, are they voting on issues beyond abortion rights . And if so, what are those issues, in your mind . You are in touch with more catholic voters in pennsylvania than most people. Sen. Casey as a native of the state, the catholic vote is often referred to as probably not in any election really a monolithic vote. There is a diversity to