E-News From Congressman Murphy
Statement
Save the Date: Town Hall Meeting in Greensburg
Continuing his series of public forums across the 18th congressional district, Congressman Tim Murphy invites you to participate in a Town Hall meeting on Thursday, August 20 at 6:00 pm, in the Campana Auditorium on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg (150 Finoli Dr, Greensburg, PA 15601). The forum is open to all residents of the 18th district who wish to join in a discussion on issues such as: securing the border & immigration, the Iran nuclear deal, the EPA's War on Coal, combatting prescription drug & opioid abuse, and the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act. Caseworkers will also be on hand to help constituents with their Medicare, VA, and federal agency needs. For more information or to RSVP, call (724) 850-7312.
Bipartisan Opposition to Iran Deal Grows
The United States on July 14th joined Iran to finalize the "Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action" known as the JCPA. Under this proposal, Iran will receive billions in financial relief and regain the ability to buy and sell not only conventional weapons, but also ballistic missiles capable of carrying a nuclear warhead all with explicit support of the U.S. government.
While Nancy Pelosi recently called the President's Iran deal a "diplomatic masterpiece," the voices of concern both on and off Capitol Hill are growing. Most recently, Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said, "I will vote to disapprove the agreement, not because I believe war is a viable or desirable option, nor to challenge the path of diplomacy. It is because I believe Iran will not change, and under this agreement it will be able to achieve its dual goals of eliminating sanctions while ultimately retaining its nuclear and non-nuclear power." As the White House continues to proclaim it to be a "good deal," Congressman Murphy has made clear he view the current terms to be a disastrous mistake, making the Middle East and the rest of the world far more perilous.
Congressman Murphy expressed frustration that, among many of the problems with the deal, the Administration didn't insist on having the inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency the authority to visit undeclared sites at any time. The Agency has reported that Iran has cheated on inspections as recently as June 2015, while treaty negotiations were still underway, yet under the terms of the JCPA, it could take as long as 24 days for inspectors to be granted access to a site thereby allowing Iran ample opportunity to hide items or conduct secret warhead-related experiments that could later be used to build bombs and weaponry.
Under the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, signed into law by the President in May of 2015, Congress has the power to disapprove of the President's agreement and keep the sanctions on Iran in place. A disapproval resolution, consistent with the requirements of the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, was introduced this week (H.J. Res. 64) and is expected to be voted on in the fall. Should the resolution be enacted before September 18th deadline, it would permanently prevent the President from waiving the sanctions against Tehran and the President would be prohibited from using his authority to grant national security waivers for sanctions enacted into law by Congress. This would, in effect, terminate the agreement.
Committee Expands Planned Parenthood Investigation
House Energy & Commerce Committee leaders today again sent letters to Planned Parenthood Federation of America; as well as Advanced Bioscience Resources, Novogenix Laboratories, and StemExpress, requesting briefings and information regarding each organization's practices relating to human fetal tissue collection and sale. The human biologics companies buy the parts and tissue from Planned Parenthood and then sell to universities and other research institutions.
The latest letters build on the Committee's investigation into the shocking Planned Parenthood videos released in recent weeks.
The letters were signed by full committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Tim Murphy (R-PA), Health Subcommittee Chairman Joe Pitts (R-PA), full committee Vice Chairman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and full committee Chairman Emeritus Joe Barton (R-TX). On the heels of additional "Abhorrent" videos, the leaders request more information, briefings from key individuals at the organizations.
In the letter to Planned Parenthood, committee leaders are seeking interviews with Dr. Mary Gatter, president of PPFA's Medical Director's Council, Ms. Melissa Farrell, director of research for Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, and Savita Ginde, M.D., vice president and medical director of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains. The leaders wrote, "As you know, in several recent videotapes made public, these individuals have made statements concerning the manner in which fetal tissue is procured. We are examining whether these statements accurately reflect PPFA's position on the acquisition and disposition of fetal tissue, and whether their statements, if accurate, are consistent with existing laws."
The leaders also requested Planned Parenthood to, "Identify the appropriate representatives from PPFA affiliates, other than those referenced above, who are currently engaged in the donation and disposition of fetal tissue."
In the letters to ABR, Novogenix Laboratories, and StemExpress, the committee leaders outline specific questions on informed consent for aborted fetal tissue donation; practices for collecting fetal tissue (including guidance to, and training for, agents or representatives involved in the acquisition of fetal tissue); prices or fees for each type of fetal tissue, how much each organization paid in 2014 for aborted fetal tissue, any contracts and/or other arrangements with the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration or any other Federal government agency or department, among others. To read the letters online, click HERE.
Taxpayer funding accounts for 41% of Planned Parenthood's overall revenue. During fiscal year 2013-2014, Planned Parenthood received $528 million in taxpayer funding, or more than $1.4 million per day in the form of government grants, contracts, and Medicaid reimbursements. In 2013, abortions made up 94% of Planned Parenthood's "pregnancy services." Prenatal care accounted for 5% (18,684) and adoption referrals accounted for only 0.5% (1,880).
Congressman Murphy has signed on as co-sponsor to H.R. 3134, a bill to provide for a moratorium on Federal funding to Planned Parenthood Federation of America. The legislation, which now has over 160 co-sponsors, is expected to be considered in the fall.
EPA Continues Shut Down of Coal Plants
Clean coal technology, much of which developed from the work conducted right here in Southwestern Pennsylvania at the National Energy Technology Laboratory in South Park, has enabled the U.S. to achieve its lowest carbon dioxide emissions levels in over 27 years, according to a report issued this week by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Despite these tremendous environmental strides, the Obama Administration took its most drastic step in its all-out war on coal Monday when the EPA unveiled its final so-called Clean Energy rules on new and existing power plants.
Announced Monday, the latest EPA rules are the strictest in the history of the agency; even more so than the rules proposed last June which were estimated to cost a staggering $366 billion to $479 billion over the next 15 years.
Pennsylvania, which ranks fourth in the nation in coal-fired energy production and third in overall energy production, is being hit hard by the President's plan because it requires a reduction in emissions by 35 percent in less than 15 years. It universally accepted to be an unattainable goal and will result in the shutting down of even power plants and coal mines. Just this week, another Southwestern Pennsylvania employer became the latest victim in the EPA's war on coal as Alpha Natural Resources, which is the nation's fourth-largest coal producer and operates the Cumberland Mine in Waynesburg, filed for federal bankruptcy.
Congressman Murphy, who has been leading the Congressional effort to reign in the EPA, took swift action in response to the agency's announcement by co-sponsoring two Congressional resolutions of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act. The Congressional Review Act is an oversight tool that Congress may use to overturn a rule issued by a federal agency and prohibits the agency from resubmitting a "similar" rule, if the disapproval resolutions are enacted.
Earlier this summer, Murphy co-sponsored the Ratepayer Protection Act (H.R. 2042), which passed the House on June 24th, and prohibits the EPA's plan from moving forward until its constitutionality has been decided in federal court. In addition, the legislation protects against massive electricity rate hike by allowing individual states to opt-out of the EPA's onerous requirements if it can demonstrate that federal action would threaten the state's power grid or will lead to higher power bills for residents. H.R. 2042 now awaits further action in the Senate, but the President has already said he would veto the legislation.
The EPA's Clean Power Plan is also being challenged in the U.S. Court of Appeals on the grounds that the agency lacks the authority to issue regulations requiring individual states to meet the federally-mandated standards aimed at ending coal-fired power generation.
Committee Report Reveals Ongoing IT Security Concerns at HHS
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Tim Murphy (R-PA) released a report yesterday entitled, "Information Security at the Department of Health and Human Services."
The report, which follows the Committee's yearlong investigation, details serious structural flaws at HHS and its operating divisions, including the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health, which have led to poor information security. These problems have left HHS vulnerable to cyber attacks, which the report outlines have been numerous the past few years.
"What we found is alarming and unacceptable. At a time when sensitive information is held by so many in the public and private sectors, Americans should not have to worry that the U.S. government is left so vulnerable to attack. With the recent Office of Personnel Management attack serving as another example of how wrong things can go, this report pulls back the curtain and sheds light on serious deficiencies in HHS's information security practices," said Upton and Murphy. To read the report, click here.
FDA is the country's principal consumer protection and health agency, regulating about twenty-fivepercent of the gross domestic product, including the food supply, medical devices, drugs, vaccines, cosmetics, animal feed and drugs, and radiation-emitting items. In carrying out these responsibilities, the agency relies heavily on information technology (IT) to hold an enormous amount of important and sensitive information. These systems are critical to the agency's product review, adverse event reporting, and compliance activities. Yet, the report demonstrates that throughout HHS and its divisions like FDA, when information security is put under the purview of the chief information officer, operations become the priority concern while security becomes a secondary interest.
Included in the report are a number of recommendations to improve information security at HHS and its operating divisions. Most notably, the report recommends making the Chief Information Security Officer the "primary authority for information security" and moving all information security functions (including the CISO) to the general or chief counsel's office, where reducing and mitigating risk is the primary function.
Upton and Murphy stated, "While it is impossible to fully protect against cyber attacks, we have a responsibility to approach these issues with necessary foresight and diligence to minimize vulnerabilities and maximize security. We look forward to working with HHS, FDA, NIH, and others to develop solutions to better protect this information. Unfortunately, the bar has been set low and we have nowhere to go but up."
Local Polish Leaders Come to Washington
In 2008, Russian troops annexed parts of the country of Georgia. In 2014, Russia invaded Ukraine. Just this week it was announced that Moscow orchestrated a "sophisticated cyberattack" on the Pentagon's Joint Staff email system. With increasing Russian aggression and overt control of global energy supplies, Congressman Murphy, co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Poland, met with members of the Polish American Congress and the Pittsburgh-based Polish Falcons of America to discuss needed global response.
The group, which included Rick Pierchalski (Sewickley, Pa) and Tim Kuzma President and CEO of the Polish Falcons of America, urged Rep. Murphy and Congress to strengthen energy and economic ties with Eastern Europe. As a nation formally under Soviet control, Poland is uniquely subjected to strict and domineering contractual arrangements with the Russian government unlike western states like Germany and France. Poland has sought access to American natural gas to free itself from Russian oil company Gazprom, which shut off gas deliveries to Poland between 2007 and 2010 as a show of Russian power and authority.
Congressman Murphy discussed the Domestic Prosperity and Global Freedom Act (H.R. 6), which the House passed last session of Congress. Under existing law, the Department of Energy (DoE) must approve construction of LNG terminals and any export of natural gas to countries that the United States does not have a free trade agreement with. H.R. 6 would have approved applications pending before DoE to speed up export of natural gas to countries like Ukraine and Poland. But, the legislation was never acted on by the Senate.
One bill that Rep. Murphy has cosponsored is H.R. 702, Legislation to Prohibit Restrictions on the Export of Crude Oil. Since the mid-1970s there has been a federal ban on the export of crude oil. However, recent advancement in domestic energy exploration have created a renaissance in American energy production and established the United States as the world's leading oil producer. Lifting the ban will provide domestic economic benefits, enhanced energy security, and provide help and flexibility to counties like Poland.
Rep. Murphy informed the group that he will be working with his colleagues to move this bill through his committee and keep the attention on the need to support our allies in Eastern Europe.
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