E-News from Congressman Murphy 2/20/15

Statement

SWPAHonors Vietnam Veteran During Town Hall Meeting

Rep. Tim Murphy spent this week's Congressional District Work Period holding three town hall meetings to give area residents an opportunity to voice their concerns on the President's immigration order, Islamic terrorist threats, and hear an update on legislative action in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Murphy began each of the three town hall meetings with a presentation on his Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act. Audience members described how seriously mentally ill individuals who used to receive treatment at Mayview State Hospital, which closed in 2008, are now going without needed care and attention.

Murphy also related breaking news on the President's immigration Executive Order. On Monday night, a federal judge in Texas granted a temporary injunction, siding with 26 states that challenged President Obama's executive orders impacting federal immigration law. The President created a deferred action program in 2012 for immigrants who came to the United States as children and in November 2014 ordered the department to broaden the program, but the U.S. district court forced the administration to temporarily halt that expansion. The next morning, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson announced his department will not go forward as planned with accepting applications of those newly eligible for deferred deportation. The Administration had planned to start accepting applications on Wednesday, February 18th.

At a town hall in Bethel Park, Rep. Murphy presented Whitehall resident and Vietnam War Veteran John Greb with medals that he never received due to an oversight by the Army. Through the assistance of Mr. Murphy, PFC Greb was awarded his medals, including the Meritorious Unit Commendation and the National Defense Service Medal. The audience gave Mr. Greb a standing ovation in gratitude for his service.

Following the medals presentation, Rep. Murphy outlined the steps he is taking to improve care for veterans and hold the VA accountable for the long wait times and deadly Legionnaires' Disease outbreak.

At a town hall Tuesday at Cloverleaf Estates in Collier, seniors expressed frustration over higher premiums due in part to the $700 billion in Obamacare cuts to Medicare. In addition to discussing how he has voted to repeal Obamacare, Murphy outlined how a new initiative at the Energy and Commerce Committee called "21st Century Cures" is designed to bring safe and more affordable drugs and therapies to market more quickly by eliminating red tape at the Food and Drug Administration.

Chief concerns voiced by many participants at each of the town halls centered on the depraved actions of Islamic militants across the globe and the proposed US response to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist organization. Congress will soon debate a proposal released by President Obama last week that requests permission to use military force against ISIS. The proposal repeals and replaces a 2002 authorization for military force in Iraq with a new three-year authority for the President to take military action against ISIS. The draft authorization, which can be read here, prohibits "enduring offensive ground operations."

Congressman Murphy sent out a special "Key Vote Alert" on Thursday, asking readers of E-News to weigh in with their thoughts on the President's proposed AUMF. To date, more than 60% of those responding supported authorizing the use of military force against ISIS.

Be sure to check upcoming editions of E-News on future town halls planned in Westmoreland County and elsewhere.

To express your thoughts on the proposed AUMF or share what you would have asked at a townhall, please click here.

ChrisKyle Case Underscores Flaws in Mental Health System

Congressman Tim Murphy said the case of Eddie Ray Routh, who is being prosecuted for the murder of American sharpshooter Chris Kyle, reflects the problems with the mental healthcare system, especially at the Department of Veterans Affairs during an exclusive interview on CNN New Day,.

Routh's mother testified that she begged VA doctors not to release her son eight days before he killed the Iraq War veteran Kyle and his friend Chad Littlefield. Routh had also been involuntarily hospitalized at the VA in 2011 for a severe mental disorder. Other friends and family members testified that Routh was experiencing paranoia, delusions, and hallucinations prior to the shooting.

Forensic psychiatrists and psychologists have diagnosed Routh with either a paranoid personality disorder or schizophrenia.

Murphy said families know there is a problem with a loved one, but are often powerless to help. State and federal laws do not allow those with deteriorating brain diseases, who may be incapable of making informed decisions, to receive help until they try to kill themselves or someone else.

"We need to understand that mental illness is a brain disease," said Rep. Murphy, who then detailed how the federal HIPAA privacy rule discourages communication and prevents well-meaning family members from intervening to help a loved one in a mental health crisis.

Murphy, who serves as a clinical psychologist in the Navy Reserve Medical Service Corps treating soldiers on the PTSD/TBI unit at Walter Reed Bethesda Medical Center, also noted that PTSD is real, treatable, and not linked with extreme violent behavior.

In related news, Congressman Murphy discussed school and student safety with teachers and administrators in the Norwin School District on Monday.

Rep. Murphy spoke about the connection between mental health problems and school violence. While the vast majority of individuals with severe mental illness are not violent, those left untreated are at an elevated risk of exhibiting violent behavior -- two times, or greater, than the average person -- directed at themselves or others.

"Our broken mental health system only responds after a crisis has occurred. The law, not a doctor or a caregiver, but the law, requires a mentally ill loved one to become homicidal or suicidal before they can receive the psychiatric treatment they so clearly need. Federal and state laws compound the problem by preventing well-meaning family members from taking a more active role in their loved one's care. By fixing these problems, the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act delivers treatment before tragedy," said Murphy.

Moon Student Headed to West Point; AP Class Receives Lesson in Federal Govt

Each year Congressman Tim Murphy nominates up to ten outstanding students for vacancies available at the four service academies. This process is competitive and requires a student to display exemplary academic achievement and commitment to serving the community.

This week, Congressman Murphy had the opportunity to recognize one of those ambitious scholars before their peers during an event at Moon Area High School.

Congressman Murphy presented a Congressional Certificate to Rocco Maue, who was nominated and accepted to the United States Military Academy at West Point. Rocco maintains a perfect grade point average, volunteers at the Moon Township food pantry, and is a star shooting guard on the men's basketball team.

Mr. Murphy visited Moon to also speak with 120 students in the Advanced Placement government class after they had written emails to him on issues ranging from US energy policy, high tax rates, and college loans.

During the assembly, some of the students asked Mr. Murphy about the economy and the challenges in American manufacturing.

Noting that countries like China break the rules on international trading agreements, Rep. Murphy told the class that he had recently reintroduced the Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act (H.R. 820). The bill allows the Department of Commerce to investigate and hold foreign trading partners accountable when they manipulate currency exchange rates so their exporters gain an unfair advantage over American companies. The Peterson Institute for International Economics estimates currency manipulation has cost the US economy between one million and five million jobs while adding between $200 billion to $500 billion to the trade deficit.

"When it comes to international trade, America is a welcoming nation but we're not a welcome mat," said Rep. Tim Murphy, who also serves as chairman of the Congressional Steel Caucus. "There must be consequences when foreign governments seek to illegally control currency markets in order to prop up their exporters while American factories close and American workers lose their jobs."

The Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act has been referred to the House Ways and Means Committee.

Murphy Named Co-Chair of Polish Caucus

Southwestern Pennsylvania is steeped in Polish history and culture. The region is the home to the national headquarters of the Polish Falcons fraternal society, and nearly 70,000 people in the 18th Congressional district are of Polish descent. Given the region's deep and abiding ties with the central European nation, Congressman Tim Murphy was named co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Poland for the 114th Congress (2015-16).

The Poland Caucus is a bipartisan group of lawmakers dedicated to maintaining and strengthening the United States-Poland relationship and to educating others on common political, economic, and security issues.

"I couldn't be prouder to represent thousands of Polish Americans who have made enormous contributions to the vitality and prosperity of Southwestern Pennsylvania, and with my own family's Polish roots, I am honored to serve as co-chair of the Poland Caucus," said Rep. Murphy. "I look forward to working with my colleagues to strengthen the friendship and alliance between our two countries."

Last year, Murphy, who has been a long-standing and active member in the caucus, met regularly with Polish officials concerning Russian aggression in eastern and central Europe, energy development, and strengthening economic ties. Last year, Rep. Murphy was invited to speak at an international forum in Warsaw on natural gas development. 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.

Poland has also agreed to use a Western Pennsylvania-made Westinghouse AP1000 reactor technology for its first nuclear plant.

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