Sen. Pat Toomey’s office has been deluged with constituent messages both praising and condemning his support for President Donald Trump’s order banning refugees from entering the country. The Pennsylvania Republican, who recently began his second term in office, has received more electronic faxes than any other U.S. senator or representative, according to the website Fax Zero.
Toomey’s office has also received “thousands”of calls since Trump signed the executive order last week that temporarily prohibits refugees and citizens from seven Muslim-majority nations from entering the U.S., WJAC reported. On Monday, the senator said he supports the decision to ban refugees, but found the initial document “too broad and poorly explained,” the Morning Call reported. Toomey praised a subsequent clarification that said green card holders and permanent residents from the restricted countries would be allowed to enter the United States. A spokesman for Toomey told Metro that “many Pennsylvanians are rightfully making their voices heard on a myriad of issues and are using all available avenues to do so.” Toomey’s staff in Pennsylvania and Washington “are answering as many calls, faxes, and emails as possible while also attending to other responsibilities, such as helping veterans, senior citizens, and tending to legislative matters,” the spokesman said. Toomey has faced intense pressure from constituents for his positions on other issues like his support for the president’s cabinet nominees and for repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act. The opposition has led to weekly protests at his offices around the state, which have been dubbed Tuesdays with Toomey. The senator defeated Democratic challenger Katie McGinty in the November election to secure his second term.
The list of most-faxed representatives, compiled by Fax Zero, indicates the recently re-elected senator received 1,113 faxes in the last 24 hours, as of late Tuesday morning. Toomey leads the next most-faxed representative, California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein — who has been in office for 25 years — by more than 350 faxes. Meanwhile, fellow Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey, a Democrat who opposes Trump’s immigration ban, came in a distant sixth, with 156 faxes.
“I look forward to learning more about how the administration intends to enforce this executive order, to determine whether it indeed strikes the appropriate balance between defending our nation and maintaining our ability to provide a safe haven for persecuted individuals,” Toomey said. Fax Zero said the number of electronic faxes to representatives has increased since Election Day, with constituents voicing their opinions regarding Trump’s policies and cabinet nominations.
Toomey’s support for refugee ban prompts blizzard of emails, faxes, phone calls
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