Patch: Mike Morris Will Challenge Tony Perry For Middletown Twp. Committee

Shoutout to the Middletown Patch for this very flattering article today Middletown Patch for this very flattering article today. It has definitely set a few tail feathers flying into a tizzy and started the trolls to emerge from under their bridges... I say, 'Bring it on!'

So what was it about today's Patch article that has so many bent out of shape? Probably the fact that Carly Baldwin stated that she has intentions to follow this campaign very closely over the "next six months"!  Chronicling a campaign in Middletown like she plans is unheard of in recent times. There are many Republicans in Middletown (and Monmouth County for that matter) that believe Democrats shouldn't be seen or heard. That's something that I have no intentions of allowing. I will be seen and I will be heard from defending principles that I believe in.

What am I about and what do I believe in? You can read my pitch for yourselves: 

 "My name is Michael Morris, and I am running for Township Committee. As a resident for 34 years, I have championed affordability and transparency in government, and been a strong advocate for our township's working-class taxpayers and families with special needs. Since 2008, I've run a watchdog blog to keep everyone informed about township policies and events. With over 30 years in the Chemical Industry and as a proud alumnus of Brookdale Community College, I am committed to making Middletown a better place. 

 

I am a regular, working-class, blue-collar guy who understands the struggles and aspirations of our community. I staunchly support workers' rights and unions, firmly believing that everyone deserves a fair wage. Additionally, I am a vocal advocate for healthcare as a right, not a privilege. I believe Social Security and Medicare are essential pillars of support for retirees and those in need. I am also pro-choice, believing in a woman's right to make decisions about her own body. Furthermore, I stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community, advocating for equal rights and protections for all residents of Middletown. 

Middletown faces a critical challenge: our population growth has remained stagnant for nearly 20 years. We are grappling with an affordability crisis; the average home assessment has increased 47% over the past 5 years township-wide, which is squeezing out younger individuals, working-class families, and seniors. Starter homes are scarce. 

Our governance lacks a coherent strategy for sustainable development. Instead of fostering organic growth, officials rely on outdated strip malls and sprawling developments. Middletown needs a plan for Smart Growth. Currently, our infrastructure neglects crucial elements like walkability, bicycle lanes, and transit connectivity, favoring cars and worsening traffic congestion. 

This status quo is unsustainable. Middletown needs a leader with a comprehensive vision for its future — one who prioritizes safety, sustainability, and the well-being of taxpayers. This November, let's vote for change. Let's vote for me, Mike Morris, the candidate who can unlock Middletown's untapped potential."

Pallone Praises House Passage of Lower Drug Costs Now Act

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 12, 2019


Historic Legislation Empowers Federal Government to Negotiate Lower Drug Prices and Makes Transformational Improvements to Medicare


WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) applauded House passage of his legislation, H.R. 3, the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, that would lower the cost of prescription drugs. On Monday, December 16 at 11 AM, Pallone and members of the New Jersey Congressional delegation will hold a press conference at the Piscataway Senior Center to update the public on the bill’s impact.

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, one-third of American adults report that they or a family member have not filled a prescription, rationed medication below their prescribed dose, or skipped doses altogether because they could not afford the full cost. In New Jersey, the average annual cost of prescription drugs rose nearly 58 percent between 2012 to 2017. In 2017, 24 percent of New Jersey residents did not take medication as prescribed because of high costs.

“Today, Democrats followed through on our promise to the American people to make prescription drugs more affordable. The historic Lower Drug Costs Now Act will empower Medicare to negotiate drug prices for the first time in the history of the program and makes those prices available to all Americans with insurance. The bill also reverses years of unfair price hikes and caps seniors’ out-of-pocket costs on prescription medications at $2,000 per year. This legislation will dramatically rein in costs and puts an end to the price gouging that’s been taking place at the pharmacy counter for years,” Pallone said.

“We then take the savings and reinvest it back into the American people with the most transformative improvements to Medicare since the program’s creation. Under H.R. 3, seniors will have access to vision, hearing and dental coverage through Medicare for the first time. We also invest in critical research to find new cures and treatments, as well as providing much-needed funding to combat the opioid crisis.

“The American people are fed up with paying three, four or ten times more than people in other countries for the exact same drug. I’m proud that the House took decisive action today to finally level the playing field and provide real relief to the American people. I now hope Senator McConnell will follow through on President Trump’s repeated promises to ‘negotiate like crazy’ and take up this bill. We cannot afford to wait. It’s time to negotiate a better deal for the American people,” Pallone concluded.

This month, Pallone announced that the Congressional Budget Office anticipates that the bill will save the federal government $500 billion over ten years. The bill’s savings would be reinvested in transformational improvements to Medicare to deliver vision, dental and hearing benefits to Medicare Part B for the first time, including:

• A new dental benefit that will provide coverage for screening and preventive services, as well as both basic and major treatments. The benefit will also cover one partial or full set of dentures once in a five-year period.
• New vision benefits that would cover routine eye exams, contact lens fitting services, and glasses or contact lenses once every two years. An estimated 20.5 million Medicare beneficiaries have vision problems, yet only 57 percent said they had received an eye examination during the previous year.
• New hearing benefits that include hearing aid coverage for individuals with severe or profound hearing loss. The bill would also recognize audiologists as practitioners under Medicare and allow qualified audiologists to provide aural rehabilitation and treatment services.

The bill also bolsters funding for biomedical research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), investing over $10 billion with the goal accelerating the search for the next big scientific breakthrough.

Pallone spoke about the legislation on the House Floor. Video of his remarks is available below.



For more information on the bill’s impact in New Jersey, please visit the summary of drug pricing benefits and Medicare benefits.

Pallone, Neal and Scott Announce Lower Drug Costs Now Act’s Historic Investment in Medicare and Search for New Cures

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 5, 2019



Washington, D.C. – Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ), Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard E. Neal (D-MA) and Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA) released the following joint statement today announcing the historic investments in Medicare and the search for new cures that will be included in H.R. 3, the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act when it goes to the House floor for a vote next week:

“When the House of Representatives takes up the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act next week, Democrats will not only deliver on our promise to lower prices For the People, but we will also make historic investments in Medicare and the search for new cures and treatments.

“Based on guidance from the Congressional Budget Office, we anticipate that H.R. 3 will save approximately $500 billion over the next ten years that we plan to reinvest in the American people.

“Today we are proud to announce that the Lower Drug Costs Now Act will include transformative expansions of Medicare’s benefits to include dental, vision and hearing for the first time in the history of the program. It will also include critical funding to assist innovation in the search for new cures and treatments, as well as funding to combat the opioid crisis.

“These significant investments are made possible as a result of our promise to finally empower the federal government to negotiate lower drug prices for the American people. We look forward to following through on our promise next week.”

Summary of H.R. 3’s historic investments can be found here.

Pallone: Trump’s Drug Price Proposal is a Sham

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 11, 2018



Washington, D.C. – Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) released the following statement today in reaction to President Donald Trump’s speech on lowering prescription drug prices:

“After promising to take on the drug industry and lower costs, today’s proposal is an empty gesture that will not meaningfully reduce the cost of prescription drugs for everyday families. In fact, some of the proposals outlined today may increase drug costs by undermining the 340B program.

“While Trump campaigned on a promise to take on prescription drug prices, all he has done since taking office is conspire with Congressional Republicans to shower drug companies with billions of dollars in tax breaks that ballooned the national debt.

“If President Trump was serious about lowering the cost of drugs, he would work with Congress on a bipartisan basis to change the law to allow Medicare to negotiate for lower prices and curb abuses used by brand name drugs to delay or block generic competition. Instead, all we are getting is more broken promises and cheap talk while drug prices continue to skyrocket.”

Pallone, Local Officials and Medical Professionals Discuss Urgent Need to Reauthorize Children’s Health Insurance Program & Fund Community Health Centers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 23, 2017


New Brunswick, NJ – On Monday, October 23 at the Jewish Renaissance Medical Center in Perth Amboy, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) discussed the urgent need to reauthorize the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Community Health Centers (CHC), and other important public health programs, with state and local officials, medical professionals and health and children’s advocates. The program’s authorization expired on September 30th.

Republicans are demanding cuts to Medicare and the Affordable Care Act to reauthorize the programs and their partisan proposal jeopardizes the health care of more than 230,000 New Jersey children enrolled in CHIP annually, and the 23 federally-funded Community Health Center organizations in New Jersey with a combined 142 delivery sites. New Jersey receives $462.9 million to fund its CHIP program.

As the Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Pallone has been working to craft a bipartisan agreement on the reauthorization package. To date, his Republican counterparts have been unwilling to budge from a partisan bill that they passed, with no Democratic support, in the Committee earlier this month.

The Republican bill pays for CHIP reauthorization and funding of Community Health Centers by slashing the prevention fund of the ACA, which pays for programs for children such as lead poisoning prevention and vaccinations. It also cuts back significantly on the grace period that people have to pay their monthly insurance premium, with the consequence that hundreds of thousands of people will lose their insurance if they miss their monthly premium payment. Lastly, the Republican bill forces the highest income seniors to pay 100% of the cost of Medicare, which could drive those seniors out of the Medicare system, resulting in increased costs for those who remain on Medicare.

“CHIP has been a long standing bipartisan priority for Members of Congress and state governments,” said Pallone. “Congress created CHIP with one goal in mind – to make sure no American child falls through the cracks of our nation’s health care system. Since the creation of CHIP, the share of uninsured children in the U.S. fell from nearly 14 percent in 1997 to 4.5 percent in 2015. Meanwhile if Congress fails to act, it is estimated that 2,800 health center locations will close and 50,000 clinicians and other staff will lose their jobs. We cannot abandon this essential program.”

“I have made it abundantly clear that the offsets proposed to pay for the extension of CHIP and CHCs should not be at the expense of other public health programs. I refuse to pay for them by robbing seniors or low and middle income Americans of their health insurance. The GOP leadership must stop sabotaging the ACA because cuts to the Affordable Care Act will cause more Americans to lose their health insurance or increase the cost of insurance.”

The Jewish Renaissance Medical Center (JRMC) is a community health center - one of 23 federally qualified health centers in New Jersey. It is dedicated to delivering preventive and primary medical services to the underserved and the uninsured population in a culturally competent environment. The Jewish Renaissance Family of Organizations was founded in 1995, and the JRMC was first funded as a community clinic in Perth Amboy in 1999. In 2000, JRMC became the first faith-based medical center in the nation to receive FQHC designation from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

Pallone Condemns House Passage of Trumpcare

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 4, 2017


Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) released the following statement after the House voted 217 to 213 in favor of Trumpcare:

“House Republicans today supported a cruel bill that rips health insurance away from 24 million Americans, forces millions of others to pay more for less, and eviscerates protections for people living with pre-existing conditions.

“By allowing states to waive critical consumer protections in the Affordable Care Act, Trumpcare gives insurance companies free reign to once again discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions, and charge exorbitant prices for plans that don’t actually cover the care that people need.

“Trumpcare cruelly cuts $1 trillion in benefits for Medicaid and Medicare in order to give a $900 billion tax cut to the wealthiest Americans and corporations. The bill arbitrarily cuts and caps Medicaid, which will lead to mass rationing of care for seniors in nursing homes, pregnant women and working parents, and people living with disabilities.

“Two months ago House Republicans rightfully rejected Trumpcare, but today, after the bill was made worse, they inexcusably supported an immoral bill that is going to leave millions of Americans without any health security.”

Pallone & Neal Statement on CBO Report for House GOP Health Care Repeal Bill

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 13, 2017


Washington, D.C. – Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard Neal (D-MA) released the following joint statement today after the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a report detailing cost and coverage estimates for House Republicans’ health care repeal bill:

“Today’s CBO report now confirms what we already knew: despite promises that ‘everyone would be covered’ and ‘no one would be worse off,’ this Republican bill would rip away health insurance from 24 million Americans over the next decade and ask millions to pay more for less coverage. Despite warnings from independent experts like CBO and others, Republicans continue to recklessly jam this bill through Congress without so much as a single hearing on what effects their plan will have on middle-class families. This report also reaffirms that the Republican plan does absolutely nothing to control costs or protect consumers. Instead, it guts Medicaid, raises costs on older Americans, and pulls billions of dollars from Medicare, all in order to pay for tax cuts for the rich.

“This is a major step backwards for millions of Americans who now enjoy the benefits and protections of quality health insurance gained under the Affordable Care Act. We strongly urge Republicans to back off their politically-motivated march to sabotage our health care system and instead work with Democrats to strengthen it.”

Background

President Donald J. Trump: “Everybody's got to be covered…I am going to take care of everybody. I don't care if it costs me votes or not. Everybody's going to be taken care of much better than they're taken care of now…But we're going to save so much money on the other side. But for the most it's going to be a private plan and people are going to be able to go out and negotiate great plans with lots of different competition with lots of competitors with great companies and they can have their doctors, they can have plans, they can have everything.” [CBS News, September 27, 2015]

President Donald J. Trump: “Save Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security without cuts, have to do it. Get rid of the fraud, get rid of the waste and abuse, but save it.” [June 16, 2015]

House Speaker Paul Ryan: The Republican healthcare plan will leave “no one worse off.” [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, December 5, 2016]

House Speaker Paul Ryan: When asked why the Republican plan would “send more money to the people who have gotten the richest”, Ryan responded “I am not concerned about it.”[Fox News, March 9, 2017]

HHS Secretary Tom Price: “Nobody will be worse off financially” under Republican bill. [Meet the Press, March 12, 2017]

OMB Director Mick Mulvaney: “We’re looking at it in a different way, Mark, because insurance is not really the end goal here, is it?” [Morning Joe, March 8, 2017]

Pallone Discusses Legislation to Improve Medicare Benefits and Update Enrollment Process at Keansburg Senior Center

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 13, 2016


LONG BRANCH, NJ – Today at the Bayshore Senior Center in Keansburg, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) outlined his newly introduced Medicare Affordability and Enrollment Act, which would improve Medicare coverage for all seniors and those with disabilities and modernize the enrollment system to help facilitate easier enrollment. The legislation seeks to make several key improvements to Medicare by establishing a maximum out-of-pocket spending cap for traditional Medicare, expanding access to premium and out-of-pocket payment assistance for low-income beneficiaries, and updating and improving the current Medicare enrollment process.

“As a growing number of Americans begin to enroll in Medicare, we have to make sure the program continues to meet their needs and provides affordable, high-quality health coverage,” said Pallone. “This bill would help simplify Medicare for seniors, make coverage more affordable for more Americans, and enable individuals with disabilities to obtain their coverage without a waiting period. This bill reaffirms our commitment to ensure the program works for all Americans who paid into it.”

The bill would:

· Set a maximum out-of-pocket cap of $5,500 for medical services under traditional Medicare, which exists today for Medicare Advantage and most commercial insurance plans;
· Significantly expand the number of low-income beneficiaries eligible for financial assistance to cover premiums and out-of-pocket costs;
· Reduce cost-sharing for “near-poor” beneficiaries who are not eligible for any assistance today;
· Eliminate the arbitrary two-year waiting period for people with disabilities to enroll in Medicare;
· Modernize the Medicare enrollment system to facilitate easier enrollment, allow people to begin coverage earlier and reduce arbitrary late-enrollment penalties that today are paid for over a lifetime;
· Extend cost-sharing assistance for Part D enrollees for their prescription drugs in Puerto Rico, which is currently offered to all other eligible Medicare beneficiaries; and,
· Increase and extend permanent funding for low-income Medicare beneficiary outreach and education activities.

The bill has been endorsed by the following organizations: National Coalition on Aging, Medicare Rights Center, The Arc, AFSCME, Justice in Aging, Dialysis Patient Citizens, National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, Center for Medicare Advocacy, Families USA, and the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long Term Care.

President Obama's Weekly Address 9/5/15: This Labor Day, Lets Talk About the Budget

WASHINGTON, DC — In this week's address, the President recognized Labor Day by highlighting the economic progress our country has made, and underlining what needs to be done to continue that growth. Our businesses have created 13.1 million new jobs over the past five and a half years, the unemployment rate is the lowest it’s been in seven years, and seventeen states across the country have raised the minimum wage. The President stressed that to continue this progress, Congress needs to avoid a government shutdown that would hurt middle-class Americans and pass a responsible budget before the end of September. The President emphasized that Congress should not play games with our economy, and instead pass a budget that invests in our middle-class and helps those who work hard and play by the rules to get ahead.

When an earthquake strikes

The following is from Congressman Rush Holt's newsletter:

When an earthquake struck the mid-Atlantic coast at 1:51 p.m. on August 23, 2011, tens of thousands of people reported their experiences in the speediest, most effective way they knew: via Twitter. This led to a strange phenomenon. Earthquakes travel through the earth very quickly: about three to five kilometers every second. But tweets travel through electronic networks nearly 100,000 times faster. As such, the first tweets about the earthquake, sent from towns near the quake’s epicenter in Virginia, reached New Jersey sooner than the earthquake itself.


If you happened to be monitoring Twitter at the time, you might well have had a half-minute’s warning of the impending earthquake.

How might governments take advantage of this kind of early warning? As experts testified at a hearing of my Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources this week, a network of seismometers along the west coast could detect major quakes and send advance warning to nearby cities, offering perhaps five minutes’ warning to major urban areas. Five minutes isn’t much time, but it would enable officials to stop trains, alert critical infrastructure, and warn people to take cover.

A major earthquake in a modern urban area could cost $250 billion and countless lives. Even so, lawmakers have failed to invest the $16 million per year that the U.S. Geological Survey estimates would be necessary to operate such an early-warning system.

Instead, the current Congress, over my objections, continues to slash much-needed investments in research and infrastructure.

A Lost Opportunity

In January I wrote to you about an opportunity for New Jersey to invest in our citizens’ health: the federal government had offered $7.6 million to help New Jerseyans gain access to affordable health care. At the time Gov. Christie was, for ideological reasons, refusing to accept the money.

In May this story reached an unfortunate and troubling end when, after years of inaction by the Christie Administration, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services formally rescinded the grant offer.

If Gov. Christie had accepted the money, about 95,000 more New Jerseyans would have health coverage today.


Rush Holt
Member of Congress

Better Off

The following is from Congressman Rush Holt's newsletter:

A person or a country invests with the hope and expectation that investing some resources now will produce a better future. Historically, America’s optimistic outlook and commitment to investment have made us great and strong.

This week the House considered a budget that abandons that vision of optimism and investment. The so-called Ryan Budget – named after its author, Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan – is based on the premise that America cannot afford to invest in infrastructure, science, education; that we have to cut back, shrink, reduce our efforts, hunker down.

It would slash $790 billion from our budget, even beyond the already harsh cuts of sequestration. It would push up to 170,000 vulnerable children out of Head Start, cut Supplemental Nutrition Assistance for children by $125 billion, reduce Medicare coverage, eliminate jobs for up to 29,000 teachers and aides, and make college less affordable for millions of students by cutting $205 billion for higher education. The Ryan Budget Resolution passed the House. The Budget Resolution is just a plan; it is not appropriations, but it is probably the clearest statement of how we see ourselves as a country.

In short, the Ryan Budget suggests that America can’t afford to do things – anything. Paul Ryan says we have a debt, and so, it seems, we cannot invest. That is simply not true. What a pessimistic view of our country! The wealthiest nation on earth can and should invest as if we have a future. By his way of thinking, the USA could not have created the national highway in the first decade of the 19th century or the interstate highway system in the 20th, or the transcontinental railroad during the Civil War, the National Institutes of Health or the National Science Foundation, Pell Grants or the community college system, the GI Bill for housing and college, the National Weather Service or the Head Start program, the Peace Corps or the greatly expanded National Parks. All of those things, and so many more that have contributed to our greatness, were done when we were in debt, sometimes significantly more than now. And they have helped us grow as a people and an economy.

This week my colleagues and I in the Congressional Progressive Caucus outlined a better path forward. Our Better Off Budget would create 8.8 million jobs over its first three years by investing in infrastructure, education, training, and research. It would invest $100 billion in teachers and schools and $81 billion in science. What's the secret? None. We simply would raise the necessary revenue to cover the necessary expenses.

Quite simply, the Better Off Budget calls for investing as if we will have a tomorrow.

Don’t Change the Target. Change the Approach.

Earlier this week, I met with the European Union’s Commissioner for Climate Action, Connie Hedegaard, who is among the highest-ranking international officials devoted to addressing climate change.

We spoke about the EU’s successes in making the fight against climate change a policy priority and in developing forms of non-carbon energy.  I was impressed by her sense of urgency and her commitment to holding world powers accountable for their promises to reduce carbon pollution. As she said in a speech to the United Nations late last year, “We should learn from the economic policies. If targets are not met, normally you don't change the target. No, you add more policies in order to achieve the target. Nowhere in politics will this approach be more needed than exactly in climate policies.”

What No Student Should Face

Along with late Sen. Frank Lautenberg, I’ve worked for years to end bullying and harassment on college campuses – spurred in part by the memory of New Jersey native Tyler Clementi. As you may recall, Tyler was an 18-year-old freshman at Rutgers University when he died by suicide after being harassed by his roommate.

Late last month, Sens. Patty Murray (WA) and Tammy Baldwin (WI) reintroduced into the Senate the Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act, which I wrote with Sen. Lautenberg.

As Sen. Murray said, “I am extremely grateful for the work my friend Frank did to honor Tyler Clementi’s life with this legislation…. No student – whether they’re gay, straight, black, white, Christian, or Muslim – should have to face discrimination and harassment in their pursuit of education.”

Sincerely,

Rush Holt
Member of Congress

"There is something fascinating about science."

The following is from Congressman Rush Holt's newsletter:

In Life on the Mississippi Mark Twain wrote, "There is something fascinating about science. One gets such wholesale returns of conjecture out of such a trifling investment of fact."  He was being facetious, of course, extrapolating that the Mississippi River, if it continued to shorten by cutting new channels through its bends, would eventually be a mile and three quarters long from southern Illinois to New Orleans, but he was more right than he intended.  Science does offer marvelous extensions of understanding, far beyond a scientist's immediate observations.   Last week, scientists working at the South Pole announced new measurements of tiny variations in the radio noise in the deep sky that greatly advance our understanding of the origins of the universe. How could these subtle variations measured by a telescope pointed to different points of the sky tell scientists about the origin of the universe?

More than 80 years ago Edwin Hubble, an astronomer hired at the Carnegie Institution telescope on Mount Wilson, California, looking at cloudy nebulae determined that indeed they are clusters of stars, but vast clusters, vastly far away.  He determined they are galaxies like our own Milky Way, and he then concluded, wonder of wonders, that the universe is expanding: that every distant galaxy in the sky is speeding away from each other.  The realization that space itself is expanding led several scientists to postulate that a Big Bang had exploded the entire universe from a tiny point to its present almost-incredible size.  More and more evidence has amassed in support of the conjecture, especially evidence collected decades ago at Bell Labs in New Jersey that in every direction in the sky there is a faint, cold radio signal, the afterglow of the Big Bang.

For a fraction of a second after the Big Bang, according to the favorite theories, the universe briefly inflated at a rate far faster than the speed of light. Different parts of the universe, expanding so fast they were out of touch with each other, could inflate at different rates, and tiny fluctuations could grow so that galaxies, planets, and things on planets (us) could eventually form.  The variations in expansion rate also generated gravitational eaves.  As Princeton University's David Spergel points out, NASA's  COPE and WMAP satellites had already detected the density fluctuations.  This latest experiment reported the first detection of gravitational waves from the very early universe.  If confirmed by other scientists, this week’s discovery, which was sponsored in part by our tax dollars through the National Science Foundation, would represent our first physical evidence that such a rapid inflation actually happened.

Don't you find it a remarkable testament to the power of science that humans can, simply by looking closely at the sky, determine with high certainty what happened in the moments after the universe began?  These discoveries may seem esoteric now – but so too did research into electricity in the 18th century or radioactivity in the 19th.  Or who would have thought that magnetic techniques to deduce the shape and spin of unseen atomic nuclei would lead to MRI diagnoses of brain aneurysms or multiple sclerosis?  History shows that, when individuals and businesses and governments invest in scientific research, the payoffs are enormous both for our economy and for our understanding of the world.

Ways to Make Your Voice Heard

In order for me to do my job, it’s important that I hear from you. Please know that you can always send me an e-mail through my webpage or voice your opinions by calling me at 1-87-RUSH-HOLT.

If you visit my office, I or a member of my staff may be able to meet with you personally to hear your thoughts. I am glad to help you to make your voice heard: the House can provide, for instance, a sign-language interpreter if you or a member of your party can communicate better through American Sign Language.

If you come to Washington D.C., I hope you’ll also take advantage of the many tours I can help arrange of landmarks such as the Capitol, the White House, the Supreme Court, and more. I especially recommend that you visit the Jefferson Building of the beautiful and interesting Library of Congress.

Working for You

In mid-January, I heard from an East Windsor man who thought the Social Security Administration had been underpaying his Social Security Disability benefits. He was right. He had recently suffered a major medical emergency and urgently needed the money. On his behalf, I reached out to the Social Security Administration’s payment center, and the man soon received a payment of $10,110 for wrongly withheld benefits.

Have you encountered a similar problem with the Social Security Administration, the IRS, a passport center, the VA, Medicare, or any other federal agency? If so, please call me at 1-87-RUSH-HOLT or send an e-mail. I’ll do all I can to address your problem.

Sincerely,

Rush Holt
Member of Congress

It Is More a Matter of Will

The following is from Congressman Rush Holt's newsletter:

Half a century ago, 26 percent of Americans endured, in the words of President Johnson, the “squalor and misery” of poverty. Many politicians claimed at the time that their misery was natural, even inevitable – that any economy will have winners and losers, and that government can do nothing to address that fact.

But President Johnson knew better. And so 50 years ago this week, he launched the “War on Poverty,” kick-starting programs as varied as Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps, Head Start and others.

And what has been the effect? As a recent Columbia University study revealed, today’s poverty rate – when properly measured, taking into account the effects of government efforts – is about 16 percent, down by 40 percent since the War on Poverty began.

This success can be traced to the programs created or improved by President Johnson. Without Medicare and Social Security, for instance, half of seniors would live in poverty today and would lack any type of health insurance. Food Stamps now keep four million people out of poverty.

Although President Johnson’s coinage may have been a misuse of the word “war” (a misuse repeated in many other government efforts to confront challenges, problems, or threats – cancer, drugs, or terrorism), he intended the effort to be massive. In fact, beyond Medicaid, the programs amounted to only 1.5 or 2 percent of GDP – a large sum to be sure, but not as huge as implied by the critics of these programs. In the wealthiest country in the world, with one of the largest GDPs per person, and with tens of millions of people looking for a way out of poverty, we could do more.

Yet today many in Congress are instead embracing the old and disproven claim that government is helpless in the face of poverty. These skeptics, mostly Republican, have already cut Food Stamps by $5 billion – and they’re trying to cut it by another $40 billion. About 57,000 students have been kicked out of Head Start, and only about one in ten children eligible for Head Start is now enrolled in the program.

Eliminate poverty? Maybe, maybe not, but it is more a matter of will than of our ability to devise programs to confront the problem. Can we muster the compassion to say, "We will not accept this in the United States!"?

Share This Newsletter

I hope you find this weekly newsletter, the eGenda, to be engaging and informative. I appreciate the opportunity to speak with you regularly about my votes, my services, and the issues that affect Central New Jersey – as well as to share important information during emergencies like Hurricane Sandy.

If you find the eGenda helpful, may I ask for your help in sharing it? Please forward this message to your friends and family in Central New Jersey, or ask them to sign up by visiting holt.house.gov/egenda. Thank you!

Sincerely,

Rush Holt
Member of Congress

Pallone’s Statement on Medicare’s 48th Anniversary

Long Branch, NJ – Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06), Senior Democrat on the House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee, today released the below statement on the 48th anniversary of Medicare. Medicare was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on July 30, 1965 in Independence, Missouri. Thanks to Medicare, virtually all Americans 65 and older have health care coverage. Medicare has increased both seniors’ health and economic security.

“Today, we celebrate Medicare’s success in providing health care security to seniors and people with disabilities for the past 48 years. Medicare remains one of the Democrat’s greatest achievements, and I will continue to fight to protect it for future generations.

“Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, significant changes have made Medicare even better for current and future beneficiaries. The ACA is closing the prescription drug coverage gap or ‘donut hole,’ saving 6.6 million seniors more than $7 billion. Medicare beneficiaries also now have access to more life-saving preventatives services at no cost.

“I strongly reject GOP proposals to turn Medicare into a voucher system and their efforts to undermine and repeal the ACA. Instead, we should work together to strengthen Medicare, and that is why this month I introduced bipartisan legislation to fix the long-plagued Medicare doctor payment system, the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR). This proposal will help continue to transform our current health care payment system from one that rewards volume to one that produces improved value through a focus on quality, patient outcomes, and efficiency. I look forward to continuing my work on this legislation, and to strengthen and protect Medicare in Congress.”

Rush Holt - Time For Single Payer Health Care System

"This state of affairs is nonsensical, morally reprehensible, and financially wasteful. The fact is, there is a proven, effective way to hold down the cost of health care – a method embraced by many nations throughout the world, and a method that the United States has already implemented successfully for our senior citizens through Medicare. That method is simple: single-payer, universal health care.

I have long supported Medicare for all, and I will fight in the Senate to advance the day when America has truly universal access to health care." -  Rush Holt

Pallone Helps Broker Proposal to Fix Medicare Doctor Payment System

LONG BRANCH, NJ—Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. announced that the long-plagued Medicare doctor payment system, the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR), is a step closer to being fixed as a result of bipartisan proposal he helped draft. Congressman Pallone serves as the senior Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health and he is the lead Democratic sponsor of the bill, playing a pivotal role in negotiating a policy to ensure that doctors will continue to participate in Medicare, as well as reforming to system to be one that rewards quality of care over volume. The bill is scheduled to be marked up in the Congressman’s Health Subcommittee on Tuesday, July 23. Pallone sponsored the bill upon hearing from thousands of seniors at events, meetings and telephone town halls about their concerns of losing their doctors due to the flawed law.

Pallone made his announcement at a senior breakfast in New Jersey, where he explained to the crowd that, if the proposed legislation is passed, it will result in a long overdue correction in the law governing payment rates for doctors making Medicare more stable and sustainable.

“We are a step closer to ending this problem once and for all and I am proud to have played a central role in making sure that this flawed system is on a path to be fundamentally changed and fixed,” said Pallone. “Fixing the SGR will ensure that doctors will continue to participate in Medicare and seniors will continue to have access to the physicians of their choice. It is the right thing to do and by reaching this bipartisan agreement Medicare recipients continue to receive the health care services they need and deserve.”

The Pallone bill repeals the flawed current SGR system and replaces it with a stable period of payments, giving certainty to doctors and patients alike. If passed, the bill will allow physicians to continue to provide health services without fear of losing compensation. Previously, Congress has passed a variety of stop-gap measures to prevent dramatic cuts to the formula every year for nearly a decade. Instead of looming cuts, doctors will be rewarded for quality of care they provide to Medicare beneficiaries.

“Improving and strengthening Medicare so that the program can serve as a reliable resource for seniors for years to come is critically important,” said Pallone. “Seniors should have confidence that their doctors will continue to treat them, and a permanent fix to the flawed physician payment system achieves that goal.”

Pallone’s bill takes Congress a step closer to resolving a many years-long problem that has threatened the ability of doctors to continue to treat Medicare patients. Pallone, who was a principal author of President Obama’s landmark health care reform bill, the Affordable Care Act, reached across party lines to develop an agreement on the SGR with House Republicans, including Congressman Michael Burgess of Texas, who serves as the Health Subcommittee's Vice Chair.

“This draft still needs to be strengthened, but we have taken a major leap forward in the process,” said Pallone. I am cosponsoring this legislation not because the proposal is perfect—it certainly isn’t—but because the process is a good one and we simply cannot continue to kick this can down the road. Congress needs to do more of this type of constructive, bipartisan work to help not only seniors, but the nation as a whole. I recognize that we still have work to be done, but this is a huge step in the right direction."

Pallone noted that he will continue working with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, as well as all stakeholders and seniors, to continue to make improvements to the bill as the process moves forward.

Pallone Launches Latest Web-Ad: ‘We Need a Senator Who Drives a Chevy; Leave the Limo to the Other Guys’

LONG BRANCH, NJ—Congressman and U.S. Senate candidate Frank Pallone, Jr. released his latest web-ad in the primary campaign to fill the seat of the late Senator Frank R. Lautenberg. The 30 second ad features Pallone driving throughout New Jersey telling his story and talking about the issues that are important to New Jerseyans.

The video shows Pallone driving his Chevy Impala on New Jersey roads and cites his background as a husband, father of three and accomplished lawmaker who “gets things done.” Highlighted is Pallone’s substantial record of achievement in Congress, including his leadership in passing President Obama’s landmark health care reform bill, the Affordable Care Act, as well as his work to clean up the environment and fighting the tea party to protect Social Security and Medicare. The spot speaks to Pallone’s commitment to fighting for the middle class and tackling important issues head-on.

Holt Video - I'm With Rush

Just before the holiday weekend I received and email from the Rush Holt for Senate campaign that contained a link to the video below.

 In the video Holt's background as a scientist/teacher and his progressive stands and voting record in Congress are highlighted by a number of people both young and old that rattle off a list of issues that are near and dear to them.

The video also takes a passive aggressive, subtle swipe at one of Holt's U.S. Senate challengers, front runner Cory Booker. The swipe happens when a young African-American supporter states, " I like Cory Booker but for Senate, I'm with Rush".

Overall I like the video, it's effective, concise and charmingly quirky, playing off the "Big Bang Theory" geekiness of Holt's background and supporters.  



Rush is a teacher, scientist and a true progressive. No one will fight harder for progressive policies in the US Senate.

Rush has taken on the Republicans in Congress - voting against the war in Iraq, to repeal the PATRIOT Act, against warrantless surveillance of Americans, and against Republican cuts to Social Security and Medicare.

In the Senate, Rush will be a leader on progressive issues, like increasing education funding, expanding background checks to ALL gun sales and building a smart national energy grid.

Pallone to Introduce Bill to Prevent Medicare Prescription Drug Abuse and Fraud

Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06), Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health announced that he is set to introduce legislation to address new reports of inappropriate payments for prescriptions of controlled substances in Medicare’s Part D program.

“Prescription drug abuse is an epidemic,” said Pallone. “Millions of Americans benefit from Medicare’s drug coverage program each year, which is why it’s imperative that checks are in place to prevent fraud and abuse as well as to protect patients. We cannot allow Medicare’s prescription drug program to be compromised at taxpayer expense. My bill, the Part D Prescription Drug Integrity Act of 2013, will strengthen the Medicare law to help address potential factors contributing to prescription drug abuse.”

Under Medicare Part D, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) contracts with private insurance companies, known as plan sponsors, to provide prescription drug coverage to beneficiaries who choose to enroll. Pallone’s bill would require plan sponsors to verify that a prescription for a drug on the Controlled Substances list was made by an authorized physician before paying for the drug. Under the current law, such a requirement does not exist.

The bill would also require plan sponsors to have drug utilization programs in place that would restrict access if there was credible evidence of beneficiaries abusing or diverting drugs. Most state Medicaid programs have utilization programs, but similar guidelines are not in place for most Part D beneficiaries. In addition, the bill will provide the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) new tools to prevent the payment of claims by fraudulent prescribers or pharmacies.

Pallone wrote his bill on the heels of a HHS Office of Inspector General’s report released last month, which found that Medicare is paying for prescription drugs prescribed by unauthorized individuals including massage therapists, athletic trainers, social workers and interpreters. Given that tens of thousands of these drugs were controlled substances, the study’s findings raise questions about patient safety because of the potential for prescription drug abuse.

Prescription drug abuse has emerged as a serious and growing problem. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 20,000 deaths occur each year due to the misuse and abuse of prescription drugs and one in 20 Americans say they have used prescription painkillers for non-medical reasons in the last year.

Pallone Statement on Obama Budget

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) issued the following statement today regarding the release of President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2014 Budget:

“President Obama’s budget sets a framework that will help guide us on a road to economic recovery while both stopping the across the board cuts known as the sequester, set in place by Republicans’ failure to negotiate a budget compromise, and preserving funding for important programs that Americans rely on. I am, however, concerned that the president’s budget would change the cost of living adjustment for Social Security recipients, and result in cuts to benefits that seniors have paid into and earned.

“The President’s goals laid out in his budget are important, but I stand firm on my commitment that we must make protecting Medicare and Social Security our top priority. As the senior Democrat on the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, I have long advocated for strengthening Medicare and Social Security, and I am deeply concerned that this budget does not protect the programs seniors rely on most.”