McCormick brings praise for Philly Mayor Parker, optimism about 'Big Beautiful Bill,' U.S. Steel
KENNETT SQUARE — Following his tour of Pennsylvania's only veterinary school, U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) spoke to the Capital-Star about the U.S. House narrowly passing the 'Big Beautiful Bill' and U.S. Steel's impending merger.
But he also had praise for Democratic Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker's efforts to combat addiction in the state's largest city.
'I was very impressed with what the mayor is doing,' McCormick said about Parker's initiative to address addiction, following his tour of the University of Pennsylvania's Marshak Dairy barn in Chester County on the outermost fringes of the Philly suburbs.
McCormick said he met earlier Friday with Parker to tour Riverview Wellness Village, a substance abuse recovery center in northeast Philadelphia that aims to help people in the final stages of recovery.
According to Billy Penn, the facility, which opened in January, has 336 beds and will provide housing, healthcare, job counseling and other services to people who have completed an initial drug treatment program and have moved to the next stage of their recovery and may live there for up to one year. They already have over 100 patients there, McCormick said.
He described the campus of the recovery center, which is built in renovated city-owned buildings, and spans approximately 19 acres along the Delaware River, as 'incredible.'
'This is a facility that gives people dignity, respect and helps them to the next phase,' McCormick said. 'It's a big project for the mayor.'
He said he discussed with Parker ways he may be able to support the center and credited her and Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel's approach to addiction in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia.
Kensington has been at the forefront of the opioid crisis, garnering international attention for its open-air drug market in recent years.
'You need to crack down on the law and lawlessness and disorder in Kensington,' McCormick said. 'The mayor has done that.'
During Parker's successful bid to become Philadelphia's 100th mayor in 2023, a key focus of her campaign was addressing the issue of drug abuse and quality of life in the Kensington neighborhood. Parker said she would end the open-air drug market for good and stabilize the neighborhood throughout her bid for office, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
'I think she's off to a great start on this,' he added. 'But you can't just treat … this problem narrowly. You have to have addiction recovery, which is what this program is meant to support.'
The U.S. House narrowly passed a budget reconciliation package on May 22, which President Donald Trump dubbed the 'Big, Beautiful Bill.' The 1,116-page omnibus, combining 11 bills and many of Trump's policy goals, is now being reworked in the U.S. Senate.
McCormick, an ally of Trump, described it as a 'good start,' but said he believes the spending package needs more work.
Among the things the bill gets right, McCormick listed the permanent renewal of Trump's first term tax cuts and eliminating tax on tips, Social Security and overtime. He applauded the bill's increased funding of border security, border patrol, and national defense.
McCormick also highlighted the efforts in the package to 'bend the curve on costs.'
'Some of these programs are spiraling out of control,' McCormick said. 'Medicaid is the one that has all the controversy.'
'It doesn't cut Medicaid spending. It slows the growth from 5% a year to 3% a year,' he said. 'And it does that by taking people out of the program, particularly working age men without dependents, takes them out of the program, [which] was never designed for them.'
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the House version of the bill would lead to 10.9 million more people being uninsured in 2034, with 7.8 million of those due to the bill's Medicaid changes and the rest due to changes in the Affordable Care Act, according to FactCheck.org.
McCormick said the government needs to reduce spending, saying the current spending rate is 'not sustainable.'
Some adjustments he'd like to see included a phasing out of a number of subsidies and tax credits, instead of an immediate ending.
'I think those should be phased out in a way that's not too disruptive to some of the investment in projects that's already been made,' McCormick said.
He also made the case the Senate should add a proposal that would add $10 billion towards school vouchers.
Trump broke the news last month that a $14 billion merger deal between Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel and Japan's Nippon Steel was nearing a conclusion after 18 months in limbo.
Details of the tie-up remain secret and company officials have declined comment. Bloomberg News on Thursday cited sources close to the talks who spoke on condition of anonymity because they're confidential who said the deal is on track to meet a June 18 deadline.
McCormick said he's 'very optimistic' that the deal, for which Trump took credit, will ultimately benefit western Pennsylvania's Monongahela Valley, where U.S. Steel operates three plants.
'It's $14 billion of investment in the domestic steel industry, $2.4 billion in the Mon Valley,' McCormick said on Friday. 'It guarantees and protects 10,000 jobs in the Mon Valley, but it also promises a new arc furnace, which is going to create 14,000 new jobs building that furnace.'
McCormick also touted that in addition to remaining Pittsburgh-based, U.S. Steel will have a CEO and majority board from the United States, while the government would have control over the appointments of 'a couple key board members.' McCormick argues that this will 'protect U.S. interest.'
McCormick also acknowledged that Trump previously 'had some real reservations' about the deal before the latest adjustments were made, but said the current deal 'supports working people' in that region.
'My first encounter with these steel workers was in Latrobe at a rally for the president, and they're out there. They wanted the deal because it protects their livelihoods,' McCormick said.
USW International President David McCall said last week that the union still had concerns about the effects the proposed merger would have on national security, its members and the communities where they work.
However, McCormick said he doesn't share those concerns.
'I'm focused on the steel workers in Pennsylvania — 4,000 of them in the Mon Valley. They're all in,' McCormick said. 'You watch that rally when President Trump came. Those are all steel workers going crazy.'
'This is great for Pennsylvania. It's great for the Mon Valley,' he added. 'It's great for domestic steel production. It's great for national security. I feel very confident in that.'
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