In This Week's Edition of E-News…

Super Committee Gives Up Before Deadline, Murphy Urges Them to Finish the Job

Carnegie Celebrates Reopening of Parish Damaged by 2004 Hurricane Ivan

Postal Reform Could Impact Cost of Care Packages Sent To Troops Overseas

Super Committee Gives Up Before Deadline, Murphy Urges Them to Finish the Job
 
Just days before the statutory deadline requiring a deficit reduction package of at least $1.2 trillion be delivered to Congress for an up-or-down vote, the so-called Super Committee announced on Monday that an agreement would not be achieved. At that point, even though the deadline was still two days away, the membership of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction ended all deliberations without producing the required deficit reduction and economic recovery package.
 
As the Super Committee prematurely gave up on an agreed-upon set of recommendations, Congressman Tim Murphy delivered an open letter to members urging them to return to work and complete the job they were assigned by law to complete:
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Dear Colleagues,
 
As members of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, you were assigned a difficult task. This point is inarguable and I commend your dedicated efforts to get our country’s economy back on track and our government on sound financial footing.
 
Although you may have reached an impasse, the work remains incomplete and I implore you not give up on your efforts, or walk away from the responsibilities assigned under the Budget Control Act. The task is not insurmountable and it is critical that the goal of the Select Committee be achieved: find $1.5 trillion in deficit reduction and let the Congress vote up or down on the merits of these legislative recommendations.
 
My constituents never expected every member of the Select Committee to agree on every element in this deficit reduction package. They understand the difficulty in finding the “perfect” solution, but my constituents do expect the Committee to deliver a product – even an imperfect one – because that is the job the Committee was tasked to do. And now, seeing the process dissolve before the deadline, the overwhelming and universal message from my constituents has been: “Don’t give up. See this thing through. Failure is not an option.”
 
The worst set of recommendations that could be delivered to Congress would be no recommendations at all. Something is better than nothing. I have faith in our institutions of government and I commend you for the work and dedication thus far. What better way to demonstrate to our constituents that even when we disagree on certain points, we can still work together to complete a task and fulfill our obligations.
 
To paraphrase Winston Churchill, there is opportunity in every difficulty. There is still time to fulfill this obligation and restore a sacred trust bestowed by the American people in our government. I stand ready to assist in this endeavor.
 
Sincerely,
Congressman Tim Murphy (PA-18)
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With the failure of the Super Committee, automatic spending cuts are scheduled as a result of the panel’s inability to send deficit-reduction legislation to the House and Senate. But, given that the corresponding $600 billion in cuts to domestic programs like Defense, and additional cuts in mandatory spending are not required by law to be implemented until January 2013, many are expressing doubt that the automatic spending cuts will ever take place. Rep. Murphy pledged to keep working, saying: “The failure of the Super Committee to fulfill its obligations to find $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction in no way absolves Congress of the responsibility to cut spending, reduce the deficit and move on a pro-growth agenda. I am committed to seeing this through.”
 
To share your thoughts with Congressman Murphy on the failure of the Super Committee to meet its deadline and deliver recommendations to reduce the deficit by $1.2 trillion please click here.

Carnegie Celebrates Reopening of Parish Damaged by 2004 Hurricane Ivan

The new interior of the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church

Back in 2004, the rains from Hurricane Ivan swept through Southwestern Pennsylvania and ravaged towns along Chartiers Creek. At the time, Congressman Murphy personally invited then-President George W. Bush to his congressional district as the area sought a federal emergency disaster declaration.

As they toured the flooded towns, afterward both Murphy and the President heard from countless distraught residents who worried the region might never recover from the resulting loss of businesses and severe property damage. One of those parcels damaged by the heavy rains and flooding was St. Luke’s Church on Third Avenue in Carnegie’s Irishtown neighborhood.

Since that time, the community has come together to rebuild businesses, homes and houses of worship. Last Sunday, Congressman Murphy was on hand with residents of Carnegie to celebrate the momentous reopening of St. Luke’s Church as the new home for the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic parish. On hand at the formal dedication along with Murphy were Bishop David Zubik, Father David Poecking, and Carnegie Mayor Jack Kobistek.

Rep. Murphy presents proclamation to Father David Poecking

At a fundraising dinner the following night, Congressman Murphy presented Father Poecking with a formal congressional proclamation recognizing the parish and the community. More than $7.75 million was spent to rebuild and reconfigure the interior of St. Luke’s Church.

“Let the rebuilding of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church stand as a testament to the will and the faith of the parishioners and the people of Carnegie,” said Congressman Murphy. “Nothing is impossible when our community joins together and perseveres.”

The “new” church will serve the 4,000 members of the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parish, which was formed in 1992 by the merger of St. Luke, Immaculate Conception, Holy Souls and St. Joseph parishes with St. Ignatius and St. Vincent DePaul Chapel in Collier. For the past seven years parishioners had been conducting mass at St. Ignatius Church in Scott.

The project’s architect was Jonathan Glance of Rosslyn Farms, and the construction work was performed by Massaro Construction.

Rebuilding Carnegie has also involved all levels of government. Working closely with the communities involved, Rep. Murphy helped to direct the Army Corps of Engineers to clean up a back channel of Chartiers Creek in order to prevent future flooding. The Army Corps invested $4.5 million to remove over 5,000 truckloads of sediment and debris from Chartiers Creek through its course in Collier, Bridgeville, Heidelberg, Scott and Carnegie. 

If you were impacted by the rains from Hurricane Ivan and want to share your story with Congressman Murphy, please click here.

Postal Reform Could Impact Cost of Care Packages Sent To Troops Overseas

Fixing the finances of the Post Office could have a major impact on nonprofit groups that mail care packages to troops stationed overseas, according to a local organization providing goods to the nation’s soldiers.

Rep. Murphy and Monica Orluck

Operation Troop Appreciation is a non-profit organization headquartered in Century III Mall that holds fundraisers to buy “wish list” goods desired by troops stationed overseas. The group, which has shipped care packages to over 100,000 troops, has sent boots, gloves, phone cards, sports equipment, musical instruments and special clothing like Under Armour tee shirts, which help to keep troops cool in the hot desert sun. The all-volunteer organization has concerns with legislation that could increase postal rates for non-profit organizations.

A plan is needed to help put the Post Office on a path to fiscal solvency.

With mail volume down twenty percent over the last four years, the Postal Service is expected to lose $5.1 billion this year. Several legislative plans have been floated to help the struggling Post Office return to fiscal solvency. President Obama has called for cutting mail delivery from six to five days, restructuring the Postal Service’s Retiree Health Benefit program, allowing for a one-time increase in postage rates, and transferring general Treasury dollars to the Postal Service. According to the White House, these reforms would produce $20 billion in relief for the USPS over the next several years.

A competing proposal (HR 2309), which has passed the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, would among other things reduce discount postage rates given to nonprofits. HR2309 would scale down the discount by five percent each year for the next six years, effectively reducing the discount rate from 40 percent to 10 percent by 2018.

On Tuesday, Congressman Murphy met with Operation Troop Appreciation’s President, Monica Orluck, who is a resident of Elizabeth Township, about postal reforms and to hear about the good works by OTA. Rep. Murphy praised the group for their tireless efforts to build up troop morale and fulfill the wants of dedicated military men and women.

OTA was founded in 2004 by Kristen Holloway Querriera, an Army wife and Mt. Lebanon resident. She has been recognized locally and nationally for her noble efforts.

Rep. Murphy promised to take OTA’s concerns back to Washington and see if a solution could be reached that would preserve the price discounts for shipping care packages to troops stationed overseas. If you would like to help donate to Operation Troop Appreciation, please visit their web site at http://www.operationtroopappreciation.org/index.php.

To share your thoughts on postal reform with Congressman Murphy, please click here.