Protecting Family Values
I believe my values are shared with most Mississippians. As a Southern Baptist, I am a strong supporter of Christian family values. I do not support gay marriage and believe in the traditional definition of marriage.
I believe my values are shared with most Mississippians. As a Southern Baptist, I am a strong supporter of Christian family values. I do not support gay marriage and believe in the traditional definition of marriage.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., today voted to protect unborn children at 20 weeks, or five months, from late-term abortions. H.R. 36, the “Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act,” required 60 votes in order to proceed to a final up-or-down vote. Senate Democrats filibustered the measure by a vote of 54-42.
“It is unfortunate that the Senate will not get the chance to vote on this basic human protection,” Wicker said. “Doctors use anesthesia when performing surgery on unborn children at five months because science has proven that they are capable of feeling pain. The United States is one of only seven countries in the world that allow late-term abortions, including North Korea and China. Although I continue to fight to protect the unborn, this legislation – at the very least – offers restrictions that every member of Congress should be willing to support.”
A November 2014 Quinnipiac poll found that 60 percent of Americans support this legislation.
Senator Wicker has a pro-life A-rating from the Federal National Right to Life Scorecard. He is also a lead author of S. 582, the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act,” which he introduced with Senator Pat Roberts, R-Kan., in February 2015. The measure would enact a permanent, government-wide prohibition of taxpayer funding for abortion.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., today unveiled his legislation to create prize-based incentives to encourage more public-private collaboration in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease and other causes of dementia. The “Ensuring Useful Research Expenditures is Key for Alzheimer’s (EUREKA) Act,” S. 2067, would not replace other funding and research initiatives for Alzheimer’s but add another route for breakthroughs. The bipartisan bill is cosponsored by Sens. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., Angus King, I-Maine, and Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii.
“America has always been the home of groundbreaking innovation,” Wicker said. “We compete to create, build, and make a difference in people’s lives. The ‘EUREKA Act’ seeks to channel this pioneering spirit through competition to help us better understand, detect, and ultimately cure Alzheimer’s disease. Given today’s budget constraints, it is important to find a way to supplement existing funds to further this critical research.”
The National Institute of Health (NIH) has set a goal of curing Alzheimer’s by 2025. Today, Alzheimer’s is the most expensive disease in America and has a 100 percent fatality rate. According to a report released earlier this year, caring for people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias is estimated to cost the United States $226 billion in 2015, with one in five Medicare dollars spent on an Alzheimer’s victim. Unless a cure is found, treatment costs are expected to grow to an estimated $1.1 trillion by 2050. In Mississippi, 12 percent of senior citizens have Alzheimer’s. The number of victims is expected to rise 27.5 percent by 2025, increasing from 51,000 to 65,000.
Wicker’s legislation is supported by the XPRIZE Foundation, Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, Alzheimer's Association, Eli Lilly and Company, BrightFocus Foundation, and the MIND Center at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
“This legislation, which will reward researchers who meet certain milestones in Alzheimer’s disease drug development with cash prizes, will help spur innovation and accelerate discovery of a cure or disease modifying treatment,” said Charles J. Fuschillo, Jr., President and CEO of the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. “We, as a nation, still must work to make Alzheimer’s disease research a national priority and make it’s funding on par with other major disease states.”
“We applaud Senator Wicker for advancing an innovative approach to preventing and treating Alzheimer’s disease by 2025,” said George Vradenburg, Founder and Chairman of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s. “The EUREKA Act would spark smart public-private partnerships to leverage America's best minds with the great work at NIH in a fiscally responsible manner. We look forward to working with Senator Wicker to advance the EUREKA Act into law.”
“An advance in Alzheimer’s research has the potential both to save millions of lives and billions of dollars for the nation’s public health programs,” said Robert Egge, Executive Vice President of Alzheimer’s Association. “With the cooperation of the medical and research communities, we are at a tipping point. We have the ideas, the technology and the will, but we need a focused commitment from the federal government, including robust support for Alzheimer’s research at the National Institutes of Health.”
“This is a time of great and deserved hope in dementia as Congress and the National Institutes of Health have begun to address chronic underfunding of research,” said Ian Kremer, Executive Director of Leaders Engaged on Alzheimer's Disease. “The Act’s focus on pay for success highlights that we need not only more research but better research, research that changes the lives of people living with dementia today and that reduces or eliminates the risk of people having to live with dementia in the future.”
“Senator Wicker has been a champion for Alzheimer’s research and related public health policy,” said Patty Dunn, Executive Director of the Alzheimer’s Association Mississippi Chapter. “We applaud his commitment to support a robust National Alzheimer’s Plan by cosponsoring the successful Alzheimer’s Accountability Act and encouraging increased research funding for the National Institutes of Health. Our advocates work closely with his office and appreciate Senator Wicker’s introduction of the innovative EUREKA Act and its goal of advancing research breakthroughs for Alzheimer’s disease.”
The EUREKA Act would authorize the Director of the NIH to work with other federal agencies to establish prize challenges informed by the research milestones contained in the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease. Challenges could focus in a number of areas including:
• Identification and validation of Alzheimer’s biomarkers;
• Development of non-invasive and cost-effective early detection and diagnostic tools;
• Repurposing of existing drugs to address Alzheimer’s disease; and
• Development of new tools and approaches to care for persons with Alzheimer’s disease.
An advisory council that would include experts in organizing and managing such challenges as well as patient advocates and industry representatives will be constituted to determine the competitions, while a separate judging panel will evaluate submissions and make recommendations for awards to the Director of NIH.
Prize challenges enable government sponsors to pay only when a prize team achieves specified goals or milestones. Although funds will be authorized and reserved for awards, prizes will only be granted when teams achieve clearly defined objectives, making the EUREKA Act a cost-effective tool to support the pursuit of the 2025 goal. Additionally, EUREKA would permit the receipt of donations from the private sector and from individuals to fund the competition and build the award fund.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., today issued the following statement in observance of 14th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks:
“As we reflect on the tragic events of September 11, 2001, we grieve for the thousands of American lives lost on that day. We also remember the countless acts of bravery and heroism that occurred in the wake of the attack. Our nation witnessed great courage from not only our first responders but also from ordinary citizens.
“Today, we recognize and thank those who have served over the past 14 years to protect our country. It is important that our nation stay committed to honoring the innocent victims of that day.”
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., today announced that 200 tickets are available to view Pope Francis’s address to a Joint Meeting of Congress. The tickets will be distributed to Mississippians interested in witnessing the historic event.
The Pope’s address is scheduled to take place on September 24, 2015, in Washington, D.C. Ticket holders will be able to view the speech via jumbotron from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol.
The tickets are standing room only. Those interested in attending should contact Sen. Wicker’s office at 202-224-6253.
On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall on our Gulf Coast, unleashing a 30-foot storm surge and winds topping 100 miles per hour. The entire state felt the storm’s brutal wrath, which tragically took the lives of 238 Mississippians.
Many communities along the Gulf Coast will soon hold remembrance ceremonies and homecoming events to mark the hurricane’s 10th anniversary. I look forward to participating in what is sure to be an inspiring and moving weekend. Although memories of Katrina are still painful, the incredible progress we have made over the past decade is a testament to Mississippians’ enduring resilience and strength.
Working Together to Deliver Assistance
I saw this strength in the days that followed the storm, when traveling with my wife, Gayle, from Tupelo to the Coast. Our first stop was at Agricola Baptist Church in George County to unload an eighteen-wheeler full of supplies donated by North Mississippians. The church played a vital role in seeing that these donations made it to the hardest-hit areas.
In Congress, I worked with the rest of our state’s delegation to ensure that Mississippians received the assistance they needed. Our outstanding state and local leaders have helped drive the recovery process in constructive ways, working diligently to get people back into their homes, rebuild public infrastructure, and bring back jobs. Important reforms to the federal government’s response in times of crisis have accompanied this relief.
Championing Accountability, Transparency
Mississippi’s recovery efforts should be commended. We have been successful in keeping the confirmed fraud rate under one percent, and our accountability and transparency measures have earned the praise of the Government Accountability Office. Almost all federal block grants have been designated to projects and more than 90 percent of these funds have been delivered.
Katrina taught us many lessons, including the difficulty in resolving wind-versus-water insurance claims on total-loss properties. The COASTAL Act, which I authored, became law in 2012, providing an important tool to begin settling these disputes and expediting claims by using scientific data and observations to determine what caused a home’s destruction. Property owners should be made whole without delays in the insurance process.
Rising to the Challenges Ahead
Although there is much work left to do, the future of the Coast is bright, thanks in large part to the many Mississippians who have chosen to stay and rebuild their lives despite incredible loss. The road to recovery has not been easy, with setbacks like the BP oil spill hurting an already fragile local economy.
Despite difficult times, numerous success stories demonstrate that the Gulf Coast can rise to the challenge. The new Biloxi Visitors’ Center, for example, is an impressive public space that honors both the past and future, incorporating cutting-edge technology alongside artifacts from the Dantzler House that used to occupy the site. In Bay St. Louis, a new seawall, bridge, and harbor are helping draw residential and commercial investment. In Pascagoula, Mississippi Emergency Management Agency cottages used for temporary housing after Katrina are now home to small business incubators.
Katrina was not the first devastating hurricane to hit the Coast, and she is not likely to be the last. We have learned a great deal from the past decade, and we remain committed to moving forward toward a full recovery. Everyone benefits when the Gulf Coast succeeds.
Part of my job as a U.S. Senator is to assist Mississippians with grant opportunities. The federal government provides grant funding across a wide range of agencies and programs. These grants help identify our nation’s most urgent priorities and ensure that taxpayer dollars are used wisely.
Private companies and charitable foundations are another good source of grant money, supporting everything from local ballfields and domestic violence shelters to school field trips and reading programs. In today’s tough budget environment, both public and private grants are an increasingly important tool for individuals and organizations to utilize.
Many communities turn to grants for key projects when faced with limited resources. As part of my office’s constituent services, my staff routinely informs Mississippians about competitive grant opportunities and helps with the grant process by writing support letters. In recent weeks, several communities across Mississippi have been awarded grants to improve transportation infrastructure, educational services, and public safety.
New Police Station in Wiggins
One of these communities is Wiggins in Stone County, which received a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the construction of a new police station. The grant will be instrumental in paving the way for the building’s eventual completion. Other FEMA grants have gone toward needed equipment and training at more than a dozen fire departments across the state, and some have offered crucial assistance in times of disaster. After last year’s deadly tornado across Louisville and Winston County, FEMA disaster recovery grants helped with the cost of clearing and removing debris, giving Mississippians a chance to rebuild their lives.
Support for Airports, Higher Education
Job growth is a welcome benefit, too. Airports at Kosciusko, Starkville, and Gulfport recently received grants from the Federal Aviation Administration to improve public safety, the quality of runways, and noise pollution reduction. By upgrading these transportation services, grant funding can encourage greater business investment.
Last month, I was pleased to announce that eight of our state’s institutions of higher education will receive more than $2.25 million through the Department of Education’s Student Support Services grant program. These grants will be awarded annually over the next five years and are intended to support academic tutoring. Such services can help equip Mississippi students with tools for employment, in addition to boosting college retention and graduation rates.
Readying Mississippians for the workforce is also part of the Appalachian Regional Commission’s (ARC) grant priorities. Because of an ARC grant, Northeast Mississippi Community College has been able to purchase four welding simulators to enhance its vocational training curriculum. I led efforts to reauthorize ARC – a federal-state partnership that supports economic development in 24 of Mississippi’s northeastern counties – in the long-term highway bill recently passed by the Senate. I am glad to see its beneficial impact on our state.
How to Learn More
My website provides a number of helpful resources on grants, including details about my e-Newsletter notifying subscribers about potential grant opportunities in specific areas of interest. To learn more, please visit wicker.senate.gov and go to the Grants and Grants E-Newsletter pages under the Constituent Services tab. You can also e-mail wicker_grants@wicker.senate.gov or call my Jackson office at 601-965-4644.
WASHINGTON – As a new school year begins in Mississippi, U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Thad Cochran, R-Miss., today encouraged eligible Mississippi high school students to apply for the 2016 U.S. Senate Youth Program (USSYP).
Two Mississippi high school students will be selected to represent the state at the 54th annual USSYP Washington Week in Washington, D.C. The deadline to apply for the USSYP program is Sept. 30, 2015. High school seniors or juniors involved in student government at public or private schools are eligible for the week-long program. The selection process is, in part, based on academic achievement, leadership capabilities and public service.
“This program helps students build important leadership skills early while educating them about the power of democracy,” Wicker said. “For young Mississippians, this opportunity aims to give them a better understanding of the guiding principles that make up our nation’s foundation.”
“The U.S. Senate Youth Program provides a tremendous opportunity for students to learn firsthand about our federal government and public service,” Cochran said. “This prestigious scholarship program is a rewarding experience and I encourage all eligible students to apply.”
The program was established by the U.S. Senate in 1962 to expose student leaders to the federal government and the U.S. Senate.
The Hearst Foundation fully funds and administers the USSYP, which includes a $5,000 undergraduate scholarship and week-long trip (March 5-12, 2016) to Washington for each of the 104 delegates from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Department of Defense Education Activity. The USSYP Washington Week program includes meetings with a Supreme Court Justice, U.S. Senators, cabinet secretaries and other policymakers.
Mississippi’s 2015 Senate Youth Program delegates were Sidney Albritton of Carriere and Robert Grady Pickering of Laurel.
Interested students can visit www.ussenateyouth.org for more information or access the 2016 USSYP brochure outlining the rules and selection process information here (http://1.usa.gov/1K5mK5w). Students may also contact their high school principal or Mississippi’s state-level selection administrator:
Cerissa Neal
Executive Director, Office of Educator Quality
Mississippi Department of Education
(601) 359-3631
cneal@mde.k12.ms.us
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., has cosponsored legislation aimed at closing the gaps in the federal government’s enforcement of immigration law, including ending sanctuary cities in America. The proposal, titled the “Protecting American Lives Act,” S.1842, is authored by Sens. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., and Ron Johnson, R-Wis.
“The recent tragedy in San Francisco serves as a clear example of the need for congressional action on so-called ‘sanctuary cities,’” Wicker said. “We should be promoting the effective enforcement of immigration laws across the country rather than standing by while some areas ignore those laws to suit their own agenda. This important legislation would make our communities safer.”
The bill would deny federal grant funding to any state or local authority that refuses to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. It would also require local jurisdictions to share identifying information with the Department of Homeland Security regarding aliens in custody. The proposed legislation would establish a five-year minimum prison sentence for deported aliens who attempt to re-enter the United States illegally.
Last Congress, Wicker led a similar effort to deny federal funds and law enforcement grants to sanctuary cities.
Nearly 1,500 Mississippians have contacted me in recent weeks horrified by videos of Planned Parenthood officials discussing the sale of fetal organs obtained from abortions. I share their outrage.
In the coming days, the Senate is expected to consider a bill, S. 1881, introduced by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), that would redirect Planned Parenthood’s federal funding to alternative programs that support women’s health. Planned Parenthood has received substantial funding from taxpayers under the Obama Administration, amounting to more than half a billion dollars each year. Although the group cannot use these funds for abortions, the video’s suggestion of grotesque and potentially criminal practices merits an urgent reconsideration of its federal aid.
Holding Planned Parenthood Accountable
As a longtime champion of the right to life, I am a cosponsor of the legislation to redirect Planned Parenthood’s funding. I reject the suggestion that the bill is an attack on women’s health, as Planned Parenthood advocates assert. Instead, it is a safeguard against the inappropriate use of taxpayer dollars. Planned Parenthood is hardly the only option for women to seek important health-care services. Mississippi, for example, has more than 170 community health center sites, which play a major role in providing quality primary care and screenings for women across the state.
I also expect any misconduct by Planned Parenthood concerning fetal tissue and partial-birth abortions to be properly investigated. I recently joined 48 Senators in a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services urging an internal review and full cooperation with any investigations.
Streamlining Restrictions on Abortion Coverage
A clear majority of Americans oppose the use of federal funds for abortion, but no law exists protecting all taxpayer dollars from this use. Instead, Congress prohibits abortion coverage on a year-by-year basis through the Hyde Amendment, which is attached to annual appropriations bills.
In February, I introduced the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act” to replace this piecemeal approach with a comprehensive, across-the-board law banning public funds for abortion. My bill would eliminate any possible loopholes, ensuring that no federal program, including those under Obamacare, is exempt from abortion restrictions.
Protecting the Unborn From Painful Late-Term Abortions
I also hope the Senate will act on Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-S.C.) “Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act,” which has already been passed twice by the House of Representatives. The bill would prohibit the abortion of a fetus that is 20 or more weeks past fertilization, except in cases of rape, incest, or where the woman’s life is at risk. The United States is one of only seven countries in the world, including North Korea, that allows elective abortions at such a late stage of pregnancy. Science reinforces the need for greater protection of the unborn, indicating that a fetus can feel pain at 20 weeks.
I remain committed to upholding and protecting our country’s fundamental promise of life and liberty for all Americans, including the unborn. Since Roe v. Wade, more than 55 million innocent lives have been taken by abortion. The Center for Medical Progress, which released the incriminating footage of Planned Parenthood officials, has announced that there are more disturbing videos to come. At the very least, these revelations are an unambiguous reminder that when issues of medical ethics and government funding meet, they should be deliberated in the public square – not behind the closed doors of the nation’s largest abortion chain.
Hospitals and taxpayers have a major stake in improving the way Medicare considers patient readmissions. In 2010, Congress instituted new penalties for hospitals with high readmission rates. The Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP), authorized in the Patient Production and Affordable Care Act, requires CMS to penalize hospitals up to 3% of Medicare reimbursement when a substantial proportion of their patients return to the same or another acute hospital setting within 30 days of discharge. The program has shown promise by encouraging hospitals to invest in improvements in care coordination and effective discharge planning.
The effects of the policy have been widespread. According to CMS, roughly two-thirds of US hospitals were subject to a penalty in their first year. The latest numbers suggest nearly 80% of hospitals are now being penalized ($428 million in the 2014-2015 fiscal year).
Asking hospitals to be accountable for readmission is an important step forward, but a closer look at the effect of the HRRP reveals important concerns about the complexity of readmissions and what drives them. With 3 years of data on penalties, the evidence suggests that hospitals that care for chronically ill and low-income patients are far more likely to be penalized than other institutions. Based on analyses of CMS data from 2014, safety-net hospitals – defined as those in the upper quartile of the Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) index – were nearly 60% more likely to have been penalized all 3 years compared with non-safety net hospitals. That is, among 660 safety-net hospitals, 455 (69%) were penalized all 3 years, whereas among the 660 hospitals in the bottom quarter of the DSH index, only 291 (33%) were penalized over the same period. Similarly, hospitals that are struggling financially – those with the lowest (often negative) margins – were 36% more likely to be penalized than hospitals that are performing better financially.
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, which provides guidance to CMS, reviewed the effect of the HRRP and found that a higher proportion of vulnerable patients – mainly older patients living in poverty or with disability – correlates closely with the hospital’s likelihood to receive penalties because of HRRP. However, despite the data and potentially serious consequences, CMS has not yet made any refinements for socioeconomic status to the penalty formula.
Accountability is an integral part of health care, and the HRRP has the potential to encourage accountability where it is currently lacking. Finding methods to keep older patients healthy and out of the hospital is an important goal. A policy that does not consider other important factors in patients’ lives is fundamentally unwise, and likely not to be effective over time.
Hospitals should not be penalized simply because of the demographic characteristics of their patients. However, the evidence indicates that HRRP is doing exactly that, penalizing the safety-net institutions that provide care for patients who otherwise would struggle to find care. Targeting hospitals for penalties, even if indirectly, simply because those hospitals care for more poor patients is not good policy.
As a response to these unintended consequences, 2 of us (J.M. and R.F.W.) have introduced The Hospital Readmissions Program Accuracy and Accountability Act of 2014. The bill is straightforward. It requires CMS to consider socioeconomic status when calculating penalties for readmissions. The bill preserves the key features of greater accountability that the HRRP introduced, but also directly addresses the problems created by this provision for safety-net hospitals that serve the most vulnerable U.S. populations. This effort has garnered bipartisan support from 8 senators in Congress, and the goal is to get the legislation enacted this year. A similar effort is also underway in the House of Representatives.
This op-ed appeared in the Journal of American Medical Association on July 28, 2015.
It was authored by Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Dr. Andrew Boozary from the Harvard School of Public Health.