Morgan Griffith RSS Articles

Griffith, Peters, McCaul Introduce the Patient Choice Act

Wed, 22 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA), Congressman Scott Peters (D-CA), and Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX) today introduced H.R. 2090, the Patient Choice Act of 2013, which aims to speed up the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of drugs for patients. Among other reforms, the Patient Choice Act would create a fast track provisional approval process for innovative drugs and treatments while giving patients with terminal diseases the option to purchase these new therapies at their own expense.

Currently, it takes approximately 15 years and $1 billion to bring a new drug to market in the United States. Meanwhile, over 500,000 patients die each year of cancer alone, and one in two men and one in three women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. For diseases like melanoma, Lou Gehrig’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease, either very few drugs are available or those in the pipeline cannot make it through FDA’s delays and regulations. The Patient Choice Act, first introduced by former Congressman Brian Bilbray (R-CA), aims to address these issues.

“Patients and their physicians need and deserve options as they battle deadly diseases,” Congressman Griffith said. “For patients whose doctors have exhausted current medical options and have been told that the end of life is nearing, why should the federal government interfere if the patient wishes to spend their own money on an experimental treatment plan? The Patient Choice Act would empower a patient faced with that dilemma to help move the ball down the field in the area of medical science and medical knowledge. In rare cases, the individual may be cured or the patient’s life lengthened. But even when that doesn’t occur, the individual will have the satisfaction of knowing that they helped save someone in the future.”

“There are research facilities in San Diego developing potentially life-saving medicines and therapies, which have been proven safe after rigorous testing. Unfortunately, because of the lengthy FDA approval process, patients with the most urgent need aren’t able to access them,” Congressman Peters said. “We should be doing more to promote research and innovation here in the United States, and this bill is a way to incentivize researchers to stay here while getting patients remedies that they need.”

“The Patient Choice Act offers hope to patients by giving them more treatment options and control over their own health decisions,” said Congressman McCaul, Chairman of the Childhood Cancer Caucus. “I am particularly proud to support legislation which will spur the development of much needed treatments for children with cancer and other rare disease for which there are few treatment options available.”

BACKGROUND:

The United States boasts an array of companies working hard to develop new treatments to terminal and life-threatening diseases. However, many times their work languishes on the shelf in labs as federal regulations and long review times impede their efforts to bring comfort to American citizens. Further, companies are leaving the United States and heading overseas to address this issue, citing FDA delays, unpredictability, and an ever-expanding costly regulatory process.

The Patient Choice Act would create a fast track provisional approval process, in which the Secretary of Health and Human Services would have 90 days to grant provisional approval status to the sponsor of the drug after the drug has been determined to be a fast track product and the sponsor has submitted the appropriate safety data and requested provisional approval. The sponsor must continue to follow the normal FDA approval process, ultimately proving the full safety and effectiveness of a drug.

The legislation would also provide patients with terminal diseases with the option to purchase investigational drugs that have been given provisional approval at the patient’s own expense.

If a drug has been approved in Europe and other FDA “listed countries” for at least 4 years, a company can submit an application with existing safety support data from their “listed country” approval, and the Secretary must make a decision on granting the drug provisional approval.

Finally, the FDA can withdraw approval if any data shows it is not safe. This provisional approval operates similarly to what is currently allowed in off-label use of approved drugs for new unapproved indications. Provisional approval enables this use with full disclosure and informed consent at the outset of safety in anticipation of the first indication for use. This will bring this access to patients much sooner, and does so responsibly and with common sense to provide patients the freedom to battle deadly diseases.

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Griffith Votes to Advance Keystone XL Pipeline

Wed, 22 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) today released the following statement after voting in favor of H.R. 3, the Northern Route Approval Act:

“More than 1,700 days have passed since the State Department received the initial application for the Keystone XL pipeline, and the American people continue waiting for the Administration’s decision. With each passing day, bipartisan support for the construction of this pipeline has grown.

“There is no question that construction of the Keystone XL would be a major American job creator. President Obama and the State Department have slow-walked Keystone XL’s approval process, but it is time to build. I am proud to be joining my colleagues in the House in voting to clear the way for the Keystone XL pipeline, its contributions to our energy security, and the jobs it would create for the American people.”

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Congressman Griffith's Weekly E-Newsletter 5.20.13

Mon, 20 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

The Tone is Set at the Top

Some scandals currently engulfing Washington – such as the Administration’s actions surrounding the terrorist attacks in Benghazi, the Department of Justice (DOJ) having subpoenaed two months of the Associated Press’ phone records, and investigations into the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) improperly handling applications submitted by “Tea Party” or “Patriot” groups – have received quite a bit of media attention.

Another brewing scandal hasn’t yet received similar attention. Not only has the IRS admitted to improperly handling applications from conservative groups, but the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) recently released a report claiming that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) waives the access fees through the Freedom of Information Act for public records for left-leaning environmental groups more than 90 percent of the time, but refuses more than 90 percent of the time to waive those fees for conservative groups. That means CEI’s data indicates that nine times out of ten, the EPA is giving records to the first group for free, and that nine times out of ten they are charging groups that disagree with their policies.

Testifying recently before the Energy and Commerce Committee, EPA Acting Administrator Bob Perciasepe was asked about CEI’s claims. Mr. Perciasepe indicated that he has asked the independent office of the Inspector General to conduct a “programmatic audit” of these fee decisions.

Attorney General Eric Holder is the head of the DOJ, the agency that secretly obtained two months of phone logs for phone lines used by more than 100 Associated Press reporters without a court order. While legal, subpoenas of this nature are supposed to be authorized by the Attorney General, but this action was authorized by his deputy. On Wednesday, May 15, the Attorney General testified before the House Judiciary Committee, where he was asked about this. I watched large portions of the hearing, and was shocked as the Attorney General repeatedly replied to questions with statements along the lines of “I don’t know” or “I don’t have a factual basis to answer the questions you have asked because I recused myself.”

On Friday, May 17, ousted Acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller testified before the House Ways and Means Committee. Mr. Miller stated “I don’t think targeting is wrong.”* Furthermore, the publication Politico reported that Mr. Miller “spent most of the hearing saying he didn’t remember things – like the details of how he first learned of the targeting – and insisting he didn’t mislead Congress by not telling lawmakers” when asked at a hearing in July 2012 if Tea Party and other conservative groups were being targeted by the IRS. Mr. Miller seemed to believe that asking the conservative groups questions not asked of other ideological groups did not qualify as harassment. Really?

I ask again – really? The attorney in me thinks that maybe Mr. Miller should have asked about the Fifth Amendment, and the right to remain silent. At least he should have respected the old Abraham Lincoln adage, “better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.”

These scandals have a similar tone – one having to do with abuses of power. Investigations must continue, because there are lots of unanswered questions.

Who is responsible?

John F. Savarese and Jonathan M. Moses write in the Bank and Corporate Governance Law Reporter, “the voice that carries farthest within any company comes from the top – so consider having your CEO speak periodically about the importance of maintaining an effective compliance culture. …”

American Civil Liberties Union’s (ACLU) executive director Anthony Romero sums up that principle perfectly when he says “The tone is set at the top.” He also says “the [P]resident bears responsibility for what his government officials can and should do.”

I don’t often quote the ACLU in agreement, but if the shoe fits…

An ineffective compliance culture in federal offices is a product of leadership, of those in management roles. Ultimately, that is the President. If the tone at the top is divisive and “it’s us versus them,” it serves as a signal through rhetoric and actions that the sort of behavior that led to these scandals – that led to the IRS asking the Coalition for Life of Iowa to “detail the content of the members of your organization’s prayers”** – is acceptable.

Whether you call it the tone at the top or where the buck stops, it is like the motto of Democrat President Harry Truman, who had a placard on his desk that said “the buck stops here.”

Mr. President, you have set the tone. The buck stops at your desk in the Oval Office.

Thoughts and Prayers

My family and I are continuing to keep the people of Damascus in our thoughts and prayers following the Appalachian Trail Days accident on Saturday May 18.

As always, if you have questions, concerns, or comments, feel free to call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671. To reach my office by email, please visit my website at www.morgangriffith.house.gov.

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* http://www.youtube.com/embed/4Yk_qrAXQEQ

** http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/irs-conservative-group-2009-members-pray-193833144.html

Griffith Votes to Rescue Americans from Health Care Destruction

Thu, 16 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) today released the following statement as the House of Representatives passed legislation to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare:

“However you feel about the philosophy of Obamacare, what has become increasingly clear is that it was not built carefully enough to work. Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is infamous for having said that Congress had ‘to pass the bill so you can find out what's in it.’

“Well, they passed it. We now know what’s in it, and the American people don’t like it. So far, what the President promised hasn’t come true.

“President Obama promised in a speech before Congress that his health care proposal would not add to the national deficit, but the Government Accountability Office estimated that it will add to the long-term deficit by $6.2 trillion.

“The Administration promised that premium rates would go down, but the Energy and Commerce Committee released a report just this week revealing that consumers’ premiums could spike as high as 400 percent. In Virginia, the small group market is projected to increase by 31 percent.

“CLASS, the law’s long-term care program, was determined to be financially unsustainable and has been suspended.

“Furthermore, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is now soliciting funds for the law’s implementation from the very same companies and groups that her agency is responsible for overseeing, because they underestimated the cost of implementation.

“Even with a stack of regulations taller than I am, the Administration cannot tell the American people what will happen with their health insurance in January when Obamacare is fully implemented. Why? Because the Administration still has more decisions to make, and more regulations to promulgate.

“Senator Max Baucus, one of the law’s main architects, recently described Obamacare as ‘a huge train wreck coming down.’

“We have a chance to save Americans from being casualties of the train wreck. We can yank them off the tracks. Today, my vote shows that I am doing what I can to do just that.

“I call on the United States Senate to join us in rescuing the American people from the tracks of health care destruction.”

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Griffith Statement on Abuse-of-Power Scandals

Tue, 14 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) released the following statement regarding the developing scandals in Washington, D.C.:

“The abuse-of-power scandals recently engulfing the White House have been developing so quickly that my statements of yesterday are already out of date. Not only has the Internal Revenue Service admitted to deliberately targeting nonprofit conservative groups such as ‘Tea Party’ and ‘Patriot’ groups, but we now have an allegation from Franklin Graham that that the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and the family’s humanitarian organization Samaritan’s Purse were also targeted. Further, we also now have an organization generally thought of as liberal, ProPublica, which has reported that it was sent confidential information belonging to conservative groups by the IRS.

“And what does the White House know?

“We once had a political party known as the Know-Nothings. We now have a President who wants us to believe that he knows nothing. He wants us to believe that he knows nothing about who decided to blame the terrorist attacks in Benghazi on a video. He wants us to believe that he knew nothing about the IRS scandal until he had read the same press reports that you and I have read. He wants us to believe that he knows nothing about the Department of Justice subpoenaing two months of the Associated Press’ phone records.

“What has happened to the days in America when Democratic President Harry Truman proudly placed a placard on his desk that says ‘the buck stops here?’

“Perhaps we have returned to the days where the question to the President of the United States ought to be:

“‘What did you know and when did you know it?’”

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Congressman Griffith's Weekly E-Newsletter 5.13.13

Mon, 13 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Scandals in Washington

Benghazi

As part of the House’s continuing efforts to determine what took place before, during, and after the September 11, 2012 terrorist attack on our diplomatic facility in Benghazi, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform recently held a hearing featuring three whistleblowers, including Gregory Hicks, the second-highest diplomat in Libya at the time of the attack.

Congressman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), Chairman of the panel’s Subcommittee on National Security, Homeland Defense, and Foreign Operations, traveled to Libya as part of the congressional investigation into what took place. He said that no Democrat chose to go with him, but that the State Department sent a “minder” to keep tabs on him. Mr. Hicks testified that he was “instructed” by State Department attorneys not to cooperate with Rep. Chaffetz, and to keep Rep. Chaffetz from personally interviewing people on the ground in Libya.

Rep. Chaffetz ultimately was able to interview people, but his “minder” from the State Department – who lacked the proper security clearance to participate in the classified briefing – was excluded. Because of that, Mr. Hicks testified that then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s Chief of Staff, Cheryl Mills, called him, and in a tone that was unhappy, demanded a report on Rep. Chaffetz’s visit.

That the State Department appears to have been working to obstruct a Member of Congress from discovering the truth is appalling.

Another of the witnesses was Eric Nordstrom, the former regional security officer in Libya. Mr. Nordstrom said that he wanted to get the truth out. “What happened prior to, during, and after the attack matters,” he said in his opening remarks. “It matters to me personally and to my colleagues at State. It matters to the American people and it matters to the friends and families” of those killed in the attack.

He’s right – the truth matters.

Unfortunately getting to the truth has been difficult. The Obama administration originally began blaming a video for inciting the attack. “The YouTube video was a non event in Libya,” Mr. Hicks testified. He later said “The video was not an instigator of anything that was going on in Libya. We saw no demonstrations related to the video anywhere in Libya. The only event that transpired was the attack on our consulate on the night of Sept. 11.”

ABC News obtained documents making clear that State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland requested that references to al-Qaeda and prior warnings about terrorist threats in Benghazi be removed from a memo on the attacks. Ms. Nuland emailed that the description “could be abused by members (of Congress) to beat up on the State Department for not paying attention to warnings.” That memo, stripped of some very important information, is what the Ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, used in her Sunday Show appearances in which she only blamed the YouTube video.

Mr. Hicks testified that Ambassador Rice didn’t consult officials in Libya to verify the information in the memo before those appearances, and I haven’t seen anything indicating that she actually knew the full story. If I were Ambassador Rice, I would be asking questions to find out if I had been set up by others in the Administration.

Everyone makes mistakes. But as I tell my children, if you make a mistake, don’t lie about it. It only makes it worse. Very serious mistakes were made, which led to the murder of four Americans. But even worse, there was a cover-up about it as well – a concerted effort to conceal the truth. Some have argued these untruths were intended to protect the President during an election, and then-Secretary Clinton for future elections.

Motivation doesn’t matter. We cannot tolerate being knowingly and willfully misled by the Administration. I don’t care if it is a Republican, Democrat, or Independent President. The truth doesn’t have a political party. The American people deserve to know the truth. We must continue seeking that truth, and determine who authorized or acquiesced in the cover-up.

The IRS

Another developing scandal has to do with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) admitting to having deliberately targeted nonprofit conservative groups such as “Tea Party” and “Patriot” groups for increased scrutiny. The pro-Israel group known as Z Street reported that they also received similar negative treatment.

I am very disturbed by the purposeful targeting of any group by the IRS, whether it is conservative or liberal. I support the Committee on Ways and Means’ decision to hold a hearing on this matter. I will monitor the situation closely as it continues to unfold, and work to ensure that the IRS is held accountable for this shocking violation of the trust of the American people.

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Griffith Supports the Working Families Flexibility Act

Wed, 08 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) released the following statement after voting in favor of H.R. 1406, the Working Families Flexibility Act:

“As the son of a single parent and as a parent myself, I understand the struggles of balancing personal responsibilities with professional demands. While there is certainly a need for monetary compensation, also very valuable is the flexibility to attend events like a child’s swim meet, a soccer practice, a parent-teacher conference, or other special occasions.

“Importantly, this bill retains current employee protections, including methods for accruing overtime. It also includes protections to ensure that the choice and the use of paid time off are truly voluntary, with the goal of giving working parents and individuals more flexibility with and control of their time.”

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Congressman Griffith's Weekly E-Newsletter 5.6.13

Mon, 06 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Ninth District Health Care Tour

Since being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, I have been honored to serve on the Energy and Commerce Committee. In my first term, I served on the Committee’s Subcommittee on Energy and Power and its Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.

For my second term, I am also honored to be on the Subcommittee on Health. This subcommittee does not have power over the funding of health care, but has jurisdiction over legislation relating to the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control, and the Food and Drug Administration. Also falling under its jurisdiction are issues like health information technology, private health insurance, and issues involving Obamacare.

Because of my committee assignment, I had previously been to medical facilities throughout the Ninth District of Virginia more than 20 times. As a part of my duties on the subcommittee, I recently spent time visiting Martinsville Memorial Hospital, the Carilion Tazewell Community Hospital, Southwest Virginia Community Health Systems medical and dental clinics in Saltville, the Russell County Medical Center, and the corporate headquarters of Medical Facilities of America, a nursing home company with facilities in three states, including the Ninth District of Virginia. It goes without saying that I will continue these visits.

While on this “health care tour,” my goal as always was to listen to the administrators, board members, health care providers, and other people discuss their successes, the issues they face, and their expectations for the future.

We listened to nurses who have worked at their place of employment for as many as 40 years. This time last year, I spoke at the graduation ceremony of Appalachian Pharmacy School in Buchanan County. I was pleased to see one of the Appalachian Pharmacy School graduates, a friend from Tazewell County, now working at the Tazewell hospital. In fact, we met several health care providers who left our region to go to school before returning home after their studies to practice and fill a need in their communities.

Among the recurring topics of discussion throughout the health care tour was the need to recruit health care providers to our area’s communities in an effort to ensure continued access to care. One way to assist with that problem is to figure out a way to fund more medical residency programs, where students get hands-on experience with patients. According to an AARP report of 2010, “While a handful of states have more than 50 medical residents for every 100,000 people, most states have fewer than 30, and four states have 10 or fewer medical residents for every 100,000 people. The geographic distribution of [medical] residents is important because research shows that residents are more likely to remain and establish practice in the state in which they complete their residency."

Other topics included concerns about the impending full-implementation of Obamacare and funding issues that these facilities face.

I learned a great deal from the people who took their time to give me a glimpse of their day-to-day activities. I will take these lessons with me as I continue my work in Congress on the Health Subcommittee.

2013 Congressional Art Competition

Each year, the House sponsors a Congressional Art Competition for high school students throughout the country. The chosen theme for the Ninth District this year is “An Artistic Discovery: Discovering Virginia’s History, its People, Places, and Things.” The over-all winner of our district's competition will be invited to Washington for a reception, and the winning piece will be displayed for one year in the complex that houses the Capitol building. This is an exciting way for a student from our region to represent the Ninth Congressional District in our nation’s capital.

A large number of creative pieces were submitted for consideration in this year’s Congressional Art Competition. However, a panel of judges from around the Ninth District selected “A Certain Patrick Henry” painted – on a cabinet door, no less – by Ella Bishop-Heil of Patrick Henry High School in Washington County as this year’s first place finisher. The runners-up both hailed from Virginia High School - Kathryn Carico with “Dominion Express,” and Kamryn Blankenship with “Old Dominion: From Coalfields to Coastlines.”

I am proud of all of the talented young artists in the Ninth District, and want to thank every student and school participating in this year’s Congressional Art Competition.

As always, if you have questions, concerns, or comments, feel free to call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671. To reach my office by email, please visit my website at www.morgangriffith.house.gov.

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Congressman Griffith's Weekly E-Newsletter 4.29.13

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Interim Progress Report on the Attacks in Benghazi

Many people have written my office asking Congress to continue looking into the September 2012 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya that took the lives of four Americans.

House Committees have been conducting an investigation, and recently released an interim progress report on what they have learned. Among other findings, the report cites an April 2012 cable from the Secretary of State, denying requests from people on the ground in Egypt for an extension of security. The report also finds that "the Administration willfully perpetuated a deliberately misleading and incomplete narrative that the attacks evolved from a political demonstration caused by a YouTube video."

The report has many other findings as well, so please don’t hesitate to contact my offices if you wish to review the report.

AMMO

Many in the Ninth District are concerned about access to ammunition, particularly in regards to recent reports that agencies like the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are unnecessarily stockpiling ammunition. Some ask why DHS and these other agencies need so much ammunition, and also argue that these large ammunition purchases are contributing to ammunition shortages throughout the country.

It's not just DHS. Also purchasing a large amount of ammunition is the Social Security Administration and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (the weather people). Interesting that the administration believes the people who help predict the weather need to be able to protect themselves for some reason, but they don't think that regular, law-abiding citizens have the same needs.

In a recent hearing in the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Congressman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) stated that DHS has more than 260 million rounds in stock currently, that DHS purchased more than 103 million rounds last year, and also that DHS goes through approximately 1,000 more rounds per officer than do soldiers with the U.S. Army. The DHS procurement officer testifying at this hearing did not challenge these numbers.

The Ammunition Management for More Obtainability (AMMO) Act was recently introduced to require that the Government Accountability Office conduct a report on the impact that the ammunition purchasing habits of agencies like DHS and agencies within the DHS like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have on the amount of ammunition that is available. I have cosponsored this legislation, and will monitor the situation to ensure the American people the ability to access and exercise the right to bear arms.

Reducing Flight Delays

In the summer of 2011, Congress passed and the President signed into law the Budget Control Act, which put in place a triggered, across-the-board spending cut known as sequestration. The White House proposed these cuts as part of a deal to raise the debt ceiling. The administration wanted to raise the debt ceiling, but I don't believe they ever intended for these cuts to take effect. I believe they thought they could force the House to back down and the cuts would be repealed.

A recent Wall Street Journal article called “Flying the Government Skies – The 4% [Federal Aviation Administration] spending cut that somehow delays 40% of flights” said “… the White House has decided to express its dislike of the sequester – otherwise known as modestly smaller government – by choosing to cut basic air traffic control services.”

Because of that decision, many travelers saw delayed flights. Bill Shuster, Chairman of the Transportation Committee of the House, said in the Republican Weekly Address of Saturday April 27, that "the government's top lawyers during the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations came out and stated that the FAA had options to limit or avoid these delays."

I prefer targeted cuts to across-the-board spending reductions, but the growth of the federal government had to be checked. Recently Congress stepped in and passed the Reducing Flight Delays Act, leaving no doubt that the FAA could fix the problem. But the question remains: is a 2.3 percent cut too much belt-tightening in this tough economic time?

I believe that every agency and department - if it truly looked at how it spends money - could take a budget cut without greatly impacting their ability to serve the American public.

Paying for Nothing?

In belt-tightening times, we must be sure that what money is being spent is spent wisely. An April 24 story in the Washington Post highlighted “…one of the oddest spending habits in Washington: This year, the government will spend at least $890,000 on service fees for bank accounts that are empty. At last count, Uncle Sam has 13,712 such accounts with a balance of zero.”

That’s right - $890,000 per year on nothing. The Obama administration encouraged agencies to work at closing these accounts. I commend those that did so, and hope the administration will continue to eliminate wasteful spending.

Griffith Remembers George Jones

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) released the following statement after learning of the passing of American country music singer George Jones:

“Like many country music fans throughout the United States, I am saddened to learn of the passing of country legend George Jones. I had front-section tickets to see him live on April 20 as a birthday gift from my wife, and hoped to see him at the rescheduled May 9 concert. George Jones’ stirring voice has gone silent, but like hundreds of thousands of fans, I will not stop listening to his albums and CDs.”

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