Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's office issued the following earlier this week:

August 21, 2018

As The Opioid Epidemic Continues To Hurt Communities Across New York State, Gillibrand Announces That Following Her Push, Critical Funding For Opioid Treatment And Prevention Programs Was Included In Legislation That Could Pass The Senate As Soon As This Week

Gillibrand Fought for Increased Funding to be Included in Upcoming Senate Spending Package to Provide Much-Needed Resources for New York Communities Suffering from the Opioid Crisis; Last Year, the Opioid Epidemic is Estimated to Have Killed Nearly 50,000 Americans, Including 3,466 New Yorkers; Senate Expected to Vote This Week on Legislation that Includes $3.7 Billion in Federal Funding for Treatment and Prevention Efforts to Help Combat the Opioid Epidemic, Representing an Increase of $145 Mil

Washington, DC – As the opioid epidemic continues to hurt communities across New York State, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced that following her push, the Fiscal Year 2019 (FY19) Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies appropriations bill includes critical funding that would help communities combat the opioid crisis. This legislation, which could pass the Senate as soon as this week, includes $3.7 billion in federal funding for treatment and prevention programs that would help communities throughout New York fight against the opioid epidemic.

“Communities across New York State are desperate for resources and funding to stop the opioid epidemic, and Congress urgently needs to step up and help,” said Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. “I was proud to fight for a substantial increase in federal funding in the Health and Human Services spending bill, and I was very pleased that my request for these funds was approved and included in this must-pass legislation. Now we are one step closer to giving New York’s towns and cities access to millions of dollars in federal aid to battle the opioid crisis, and I will continue doing everything in my power to make sure our state has all the resources it needs.”

Last year, the opioid epidemic is estimated to have killed nearly 50,000 Americans, including 3,466 New Yorkers. This represents a record number of deaths due to opioid overdose. Gillibrand fought for critical funding and resources to be included in the upcoming Senate appropriations bill to help provide support for local public health officials to fight the opioid crisis.

The programs Gillibrand successfully fought for are included below:  

• Evidence-Based Public Health Response Programs: Gillibrand fought to include $6 billion in funding for programs that prioritize evidenced-based public health responses and programs in response to the opioid epidemic. This funding would benefit programs that improve overdose data collection, programs that provide resources for opioid education and prevention efforts, and the State Targeted Response Grants Program, which helps provide direct resources to states, Tribes, and communities that are tackling the opioid epidemic.  
• Community Health Centers: $200 million would be allocated for Community Health Centers, which support and enhance behavioral health, mental health, or substance use disorder services. Gillibrand urged appropriators for full funding of this program earlier this year.
• Rural Health Care Programs: $120 million in funding would be used to help rural communities respond to the opioid epidemic. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), drug-related deaths are 45 percent higher in rural communities. This funding would support community health centers, outreach and flexibility grants, and the retention and training of rural healthcare providers. Gillibrand pushed to include this funding in the FY19 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies appropriations bill.
• Public Health and Prevention Fund: Gillibrand also fought for the Public Health and Prevention Fund, which funds the CDC, the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the Indian Health Service, all of which play an integral role in combatting and responding to the opioid crisis. Under these programs, the FY19 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies appropriations bill would specifically include the following:
• $1.5 billion for SAMHSA’s State Opioid Response Grant, which continues a 15 percent set-aside for states with the highest mortality rate related to opioid use disorders.
• $476 million to the CDC for opioid overdose prevention and surveillance as well as a public awareness campaign. The bill includes $5 million for a new initiative in the CDC to combat infectious diseases directly related to opioid use.

Last year, Gillibrand introduced the bipartisan Opioid Addiction Prevention Act to limit the supply of initial opioid prescriptions to seven days for acute pain in order to target the over-prescription of addictive medication. Gillibrand is also a cosponsor of the Opioid Accountability Act of 2018, which would hold drug manufacturers accountable for the opioid epidemic by prohibiting illegal marketing and distribution of opioids, creating criminal liability for top company executives, and penalizing drug manufacturers who illegally advertise, market, or distribute an opioid product.

Cantwell & Pallone Question FERC Chairman Over Chief of Staff’s Recent Concerning Comments

Senator Maria Cantwell's office issued the following Wednesday:

08.22.18

Cantwell & Pallone Question FERC Chairman Over Chief of Staff’s Recent Concerning Comments

Washington, D.C. – Today, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and House Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) sent a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Chairman Kevin McIntyre requesting an explanation for recent statements made by his Chief of Staff Anthony Pugliese.  In the letter the lawmakers express concern that Pugliese’s recent statements indicate FERC is working with Trump administration officials at the Department of Energy and National Security Council on a plan to interfere with the operation of the nation’s wholesale electric markets.

Congress established FERC as an independent regulatory entity to ensure the Commission’s independence from political influence and to safeguard FERC’s autonomous authority to regulate energy rates.

“We are deeply troubled by recent statements attributed to your Chief of Staff, Anthony Pugliese, that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is working with Trump administration officials at the Department of Energy and National Security Council on an ill-conceived plan to interfere with the operation of the nation’s wholesale electric markets,” Cantwell and Pallone wrote to FERC Chairman McIntyre.

“We believe this action would violate the requirement that FERC remain a neutral and unbiased decisionmaker.  We are equally concerned by highly partisan political remarks reportedly made by Mr. Pugliese in the media and at a recent industry conference that are highly inappropriate and undermine the Commission’s independence,” continue the lawmakers.

Earlier this month, Mr. Pugliese made a series of statements that raised the top Democrats’ concerns. On August 7, 2018, Mr. Pugliese reportedly made remarks at a nuclear industry conference stating that FERC is actively looking for ways to "value resilience" and ensure that "baseload" 24-hour-a-day generators are kept in business. Given that FERC unanimously rejected the Trump administration’s 2017 proposal to subsidize coal and nuclear plants in competitive electric markets this January; these remarks are inappropriate and call into question Pugliese’s impartiality.

“We are deeply concerned that your chief of staff, for whom you bear special responsibility, has been making public statements that call into question his impartiality and independence from political pressure.  Left unchecked, we believe such statements must ultimately call into question the impartiality and independence of the Commission itself,” the lawmakers write.  

“Moreover, we believe that you have the responsibility, as Chairman, to safeguard the Commission’s independence, its neutrality, and its impartiality, and to uphold the professional conduct of the Commission’s employees, and most especially those on your own personal staff.”


In light of Pugliese’s troubling remarks and Chairman McIntyre’s statutory responsibility as the Commission’s Chairman, Pallone and Cantwell are requesting answers to a series of questions, including:

• Do Pugliese’s remarks represent the views of the Commission or any of its members?
• What policies, protocols and procedures does the Commission have in place to ensure that its staff does not engage in partisan political activity in violation of the Hatch Act?
• What, if any, contact has the Commission or its staff had with the Department of Energy officials or any other executive branch officials in connection with the Administration’s widely reported consideration of emergency orders to require public utilities to give preference or advantage?

The full letter can be found here.

###

Earlier this week, Senator Mazie Hirono's office issued the following:

August 20, 2018

Hirono, Veterans’ Affairs Committee Democrats Call for Oversight Hearing on Inappropriate Influence of So-Called “Mar-a-Lago Crowd” on VA

Request Follows ProPublica Report Detailing Interference by Three Mar-a-Lago Members on Operations at VA

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Led by Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), five Democratic members of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee urged Chairman Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) to convene an oversight hearing to examine the inappropriate influence of three members of President Trump’s private club Mar-a-Lago on Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) operations. The request follows reports by ProPublica and the New York Times of the inappropriate influence of these individuals, including pushing out former VA Secretary David Shulkin and advocating for the privatization of VA.
“Ike Perlmutter, Marc Sherman, and Bruce Moskowitz have weighed in behind the scenes on a host of personnel and policy issues,” the Senators wrote. “None of the members of this so-called ‘Mar-a-Lago crowd’ has any experience in the U.S. government or military and they are operating without any transparency, accountability, or oversight.”

“Of particular concern, is that these unofficial advisers are allegedly using their influence to push for privatization of the VA. In his confirmation hearing, Secretary Robert Wilkie vowed not to privatize the VA and recognized the importance of investing in the Department’s internal capacity so VA can continue to provide high-quality care to our veterans…” the Senators continued. “While many of the reported incidents occurred prior to now-Secretary Wilkie’s tenure at the VA, it is imperative that we receive his testimony about his interactions and communications with the trio and what actions he has taken and what actions he plans to take to ensure decisions at the VA are being driven by what is best for our veterans without undue outside influence or direction.”

Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) joined Senator Hirono in writing to Chairman Isakson.

Click here to download a copy of the letter. The full letter text is printed below:


Dear Chairman Isakson,
We write to respectfully request you schedule a Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee oversight hearing regarding reports of ongoing inappropriate influence on the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) by three members of President Trump’s private club, Mar-a-Lago.
Reportedly, Ike Perlmutter, Marc Sherman, and Bruce Moskowitz have weighed in behind the scenes on a host of personnel and policy issues. None of the members of this so-called “Mar-a-Lago crowd” has any experience in the U.S. government or military and they are operating without any transparency, accountability, or oversight. In addition, while they claim to only be providing advisory information, reporting by ProPublica and the New York Times indicates that this is not the case and that they were not only influencing, but directing, various activities at the VA.
Of particular concern, is that these unofficial advisers are allegedly using their influence to push for privatization of the VA. In his confirmation hearing, Secretary Robert Wilkie vowed not to privatize the VA and recognized the importance of investing in the Department’s internal capacity so VA can continue to provide high-quality care to our veterans.
The recent revelations, which are deeply troubling, are not the first we’ve heard about this inappropriate outsourcing of VA decision-making. Many of us previously expressed concerns about the trio’s influence earlier this year when it was reported that they had been pushing to delay the VA’s electronic health record modernization (EHR). We asked for information about the VA’s contact with Dr. Moskowitz and any other individual outside the VA who provided input on EHR modernization. To date, we have not received such information.
Given the most recent reports regarding the trio’s role in pushing out former Secretary Shulkin, supporting the marginalizing of career staff by political leaders they had hand-picked, and other attempts at influencing decisions, we respectfully request an oversight hearing to get to the bottom of these allegations. With the many challenges facing the VA, public accountability and transparency of this department is critical.
While many of the reported incidents occurred prior to now-Secretary Wilkie’s tenure at the VA, it is imperative that we receive his testimony about his interactions and communications with the trio and what actions he has taken and what actions he plans to take to ensure decisions at the VA are being driven by what is best for our veterans without undue outside influence or direction. Therefore, we respectfully request that he, relevant career staff, and others be called to testify on these matters.
We appreciate your consideration of this request and look forward to working with you to ensure the VA is acting with the best interest of our veterans in mind.
Sincerely,

###