By a bipartisan vote of 392 to 26, the house approved the 21st Century Cures Act, which congressman Tom Reed (R-Corning, NY 23) recently promoted as legislation that would support patients and those suffering with chronic illnesses. Reed said the bill is designed to encourage medical research for incurable illnesses. In addition, Reed says the bill will speed up the federal review process and reduce bureaucracy needed to approve new medical treatment options.

The bill also provides relief to rural hospitals by lessening the federal financial penalties in Medicaid payments when patients have to be readmitted to the institution for care.

Critics concerned with the bill say it would keep generics off the market longer for drugs treating rare diseases. Several nonprofit patient advocacy and research groups have also opposed the bill, citing concerns about endangering patients with simplified drug and device approvals.

The bill dedicates $5 billion for National Institutes of Health for targeted medical research and $500 million for the Food and Drug Administration to speed up the approval process for medicine and treatment options.

The bill heads to the U.S. Senate for a vote early next week. Senator Harry Reid (D-Nev.), the minority leader, acknowledged that there had been “angst” over the legislation among his colleagues, and several, including Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), have said they will oppose it.

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer

WASHINGTON – Chuck Schumer is the next Senate minority leader. He will be the first New Yorker to ever hold the position.

Schumer will replace the retiring Harry Reid when Congress convenes for its 115th session in January. State Democratic Party leaders say New Yorkers now have a direct line to one of the most important seats of power in the country.

In front of reporters Wednesday, Schumer promised a “sharper, bolder, stronger economic message” from Senate Democrats.

“I am humbled and honored by the trust and confidence my colleagues have placed in me and proud to introduce this leadership team,” said Schumer. “I am going to wake up every single day focused on how Senate Democrats can effectively fight for America’s middle class, and those struggling to make it. This team is ideologically and geographically diverse, it mixes the wisdom of experience with the vigor of youth, at least in Senate years, but from the top to bottom, each of these Senators has devoted their lives to fighting for the middle class and those struggling to get there.”

Schumer says he’s willing to work with President-Elect Donald Trump on issues where they agree, but will also challenge him on other issues, as well.

“As Democrats determine our way forward, I can tell the American people this: We are ready to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Republicans – working with soon-to-be President Trump on issues where we agree — but we will go toe-to-toe against the President-elect whenever our values or the progress we’ve made is under assault.”

Schumer has been criticized by some Democrats for his ties to Wall Street. He pleased some progressive Democrats Wednesday, however, by tapping Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren for leadership roles in the Senate.

The Senate Democratic Leadership for the 115th Congress:

• Senate Democratic Leader and Chair of the Conference: Senator Charles Schumer
• Minority Whip: Senator Dick Durbin
• Assistant Democratic Leader: Senator Patty Murray
• Chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee: Senator Debbie Stabenow
• Vice Chair of the Conference: Senator Elizabeth Warren
• Vice Chair of the Conference: Senator Mark Warner
• Chair of Steering Committee: Senator Amy Klobuchar
• Chair of Outreach: Senator Bernie Sanders
• Vice Chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee: Senator Joe Manchin
• Senate Democratic Conference Secretary: Senator Tammy Baldwin

The committee ranking members for the 115^th Congress:

• Agriculture: Senator Debbie Stabenow
• Armed Services: Senator Jack Reed
• Appropriations: Senator Patrick Leahy
• Banking: Senator Sherrod Brown
• Budget: Senator Bernie Sanders
• Commerce: Senator Bill Nelson
• Energy: Senator Maria Cantwell
• EPW: Senator Tom Carper
• Finance: Senator Ron Wyden
• Foreign Relations: Senator Ben Cardin
• HELP: Senator Patty Murray
• HSGAC: Senator Claire McCaskill
• Indian Affairs: Senator Tom Udall
• Judiciary: Senator Dianne Feinstein
• Rules: Senator Amy Klobuchar
• Small Business: Senator Jeanne Shaheen
• Veterans Affairs: Senator Jon Tester
• Aging: Senator Bob Casey
• Ethics: Senator Chris Coons
• Intelligence: Senator Mark Warner
• JEC: Senator Martin Heinrich

Rep. Tom Reed (R-Corning)

JAMESTOWN – Congressman Tom Reed’s (R-Corning, NY 23) campaign is responding to criticism from his opponent, who claimed Reed doesn’t support gun restrictions for suspected terrorists and as a result is compromising the safety of Americans.

On Wednesday candidate for Congress John Plumb (D-Lakewood) released a statement saying Reed does not support legislation that would prevent terror suspects on the federal No Fly List from purchasing a firearm. Plumb then said that Reed’s lack of support for the legislation undermines the safety of New Yorkers, adding that it continues a trend that he’s followed since being elected to congress.

On Thursday Reed’s Campaign responded to Plumb’s statements. Tom Reed for Congress spokeswoman Amy Hasenberg called Plumb’s statement outrageous and said that he is using offensive DC tactics to undermine Reed’s efforts to help protect Americans. Hasenberg also reiterated Reed’s statements from earlier in the week, saying that radical Islamic terror is the real enemy.

“Tom is at the forefront fighting for protections for the American people and he has been since he was elected into Congress,” said Hasenberg. “Any accusations that say otherwise are dishonest. Tom cares about all Americans. “Radical Islamic Terror is the real enemy here, but DC John Plumb chooses to take another play from the DC liberal insider playbook and use a national tragedy for personal political advancement.”

John Plumb

Hasenberg then accused Plumb of following the same campaign tactics used by the Democratic National Committee, which sent out a letter from minority Senate leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) addressing the Orlando mass shooting while also asking for donations.

“This goes beyond poor taste, this behavior is horrendous and disrespectful towards the people that were unfairly taken from their families,” Hasenberg stated.

Plumb is challenging Reed for New York’s 23rd Congressional District seat in this year’s General Election. Over the past two decades he’s served as a submarine officer in the Navy and later as an official at the Department of Defense. Prior to his service in the military he was raised and graduated from high school in Randolph, NY (Cattaraugus County) in 1988.

Reed is an attorney and former mayor of Corning, NY who was elected to Congress in 2010 and has represented Chautauqua County since January 2013 when redistricting created the new 23^rd congressional district – which also includes several other counties in the southern tier, stretching all the way to Tompkins County in the finger lakes region.

REED, HOUSE APPROVE BI-PARTISAN TERRORISM PREVENTION LEGISLATION

Meanwhile, Congressman Reed, along with his fellow House members, voted 402-15 on a bipartisan package of three bills Thursday known as the Countering Terrorist Radicalization Act, aimed at preventing terrorists from radicalizing Americans to attack inside the United States.

Following the vote, Reed said the legislation will help prevent foreign terrorists from using propaganda to lure Americans into committing similar attacks like the one committed in Orlando.

“We care about keeping Americans safe, and in the wake of the tragedy in Orlando, we can and must do more to counter radical Islamic terrorism,” said Reed.

“It’s only right that we work to keep Americans safe without forcing them to give up constitutional freedoms,” he added, alluding to his unwillingness to support legislation that limits Second Amendment rights.

According to Reed’s office, the proposal increases the Department of Homeland Security’s efforts to counteract domestic and homegrown terrorist by expanding outreach in American communities and encouraging ordinary Americans to recognize and report suspicious activities. The bill also requires the department to reassess programs that aim to counter violent extremism in the U.S. and identify gaps in the programs and resources and report them to Congress. The third component of the legislation is to establish the Counterterrorism Advisory Board (CTAB) as the central Homeland Security counter-terrorism decision making body, allowing it to set the procedures for issuing terrorism alerts.

“Americans deserve to be safe on U.S. soil. We can’t let terror threats, either foreign or domestic, disrupt our way of life and this bill is the first step in taking proactive measures to defeat terrorism once and for all,” said Reed.

House Majority Leader John Boehner said that the GOP controlled house still wants to have a discussion about the Affordable Care Act (ACA) so that it can bring fairness to the American people. However, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says that they’ve been very clear that ACA will move forward and will not be used as a bargaining chip to end the shutdown.

Roughly 800,000 federal employees are furloughed as a result of the shutdown.

Tom Reed

WASHINGTON – Congressman Tom Reed (R-Corning) has joined his fellow republicans in the House by saying that legislators don’t deserve to get paid if they don’t pass a budget. On Wednesday the House of Representatives voted to approve a three-month extension of the nation’s debt limit in a bill that also has a clause in it that pressures lawmakers to adopt a budget or have their pay withheld.

The vote passed by a count of 285-144. Thirty-three Republicans opposed the measure, while 86 Democrats voted to approve it, sending the legislation to the Senate where it is also expected to pass, according to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

The bill, known as the No Budget No Pay Act of 2013, directs both chambers of Congress to adopt a budget resolution for fiscal year 2014 by April 15, 2013. If either body fails to pass a budget, members of that body would have their paychecks put into an escrow account starting on April 16 until that body adopts a budget.

During a conference call earlier this week, Congressman Reed said the Bill is intended to bring accountability back to Washington.

“What we’re trying to do is, once and for all, force the Senate to do what is required by law – what is required by every household in America to meet their operating expenses on a day to day basis,” Reed said. “That is to put in black and white their budget, their proposals, their details as to how we’re going to deal with this debt crisis and the entitlement crisis that is upon us.”

Congressman Reed also said that the country is currently facing $16 trillion in debt and expects the number to grow by $4 trillion by the end of President Obama’s second term – unless spending is addressed in Washington.

Although the bill, if approved by the Senate, would withhold pay of the lawmakers, it would only be temporary. Any pay that is withheld would eventually be released at the end of the current Congress even if a budget doesn’t ever pass.

Democrats have also pledged to pass a budget in the Senate this year. The Senate has not passed a budget resolution since April 29, 2009.