In this Week’s Edition of E-News…

Rep. Murphy Bill Brings CBO's Operations Into the Light
Murphy Urges US Olympic Committee To ‘Make It In The USA'
Murphy Applauds House Passage of Defense Appropriations Act
Exciting News for VLP of Western Pennsylvania

Rep. Murphy Bill Brings CBO's Operations Into the Light

With our national debt set to exceed $15.7 trillion, Congress has acted on numerous bills tackling the deficit, cutting spending, and bringing our budget into balance. Congressman Tim Murphy, a supporter of a Balanced Budget Amendment, this week introduced legislation to increase transparency and accountability in the congressional budgeting process with the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Transparency Act (H.R. 6136).

The Congressional Budget Office was established in the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to provide objective analyses of budgetary and economic issues for Congress. The CBO is required by law to produce a cost estimate—or “score”—for every bill that is reported by a committee. A favorable or budget-neutral score makes the difference for a bill’s success or failure as Members of Congress and the public place great weight on the CBO score.

But an ongoing issue of concern is that no one knows how CBO arrives at their numbers because they don’t have to "show their work" when announcing economic impact results.

Click here to watch Rep. Murphy's full floor speech on his CBO Transparency Act.

Murphy’s bill requires the CBO to publicly release all information and data used in evaluating the budgetary impact of legislation.

Likening it to any other scientific study or data-driven process, Murphy said: “By opening up the details of CBO analysis for greater inspection and peer review, lawmakers and the public will better understand how scoring decisions are made and independently judge the budgetary impact of legislation.”

Murphy added, “This is an important step in providing the tools for Congress to serve as better stewards of taxpayer dollars. Releasing the documentation and analysis accompanying a bill score will help Congress produce better legislation, keep lawmakers accountable for government spending, and burnish the credibility of CBO’s reports.”

Back in 2009, CBO forecasted the stimulus would help to grow the economy by 4.1 percent, but GDP growth was roughly half that figure. CBO also estimated the widely popular Medicare Part D prescription drug program would cost 40% higher than actual costs.

Murphy’s bill, backed by Americans for Tax Reform, is a commonsense measure to allow lawmakers in Congress, the public and business analysts to thoroughly examine the defining cost estimates of major pieces of legislation into the future and to ensure Congress doesn't make costly mistakes the taxpayer must clean up.

To learn more about the CBO Transparency Act, click here.

To watch Congressman Murphy’s exclusive Fox Business interview on the CBO Transparency Act, visit his official YouTube page.

To share your thoughts with Congressman Murphy on the CBO Transparency Act, please click here.

Rep. Murphy welcomes the Feldhue Family of Moon Township to Washington.

Murphy Urges US Olympic Committee To ‘Make It In The USA'

The United States has the most productive, advanced, and innovative workforce in the world. But our economy faces fierce competition from international trading partners that do not follow the rules in global trade. The consequences are real, and the stark reality is that as a result of this cheating, America has lost its position as the global leader in manufacturing for the first time in a century to another country, namely China. Since January 2009, the economy has shed nearly 600,000 jobs in manufacturing, which pay higher than average wages and benefits.

Congressman Murphy has been working to advance policies that support manufacturing. As chairman of the Congressional Steel Caucus, Rep. Murphy worked to ensure federal projects use steel made in America and has exposed abuse in the stimulus bill where taxpayer dollars created jobs overseas instead of in the US.

Expanding the country’s manufacturing base helps to provide opportunities for middle class families and serve as the foundation for a healthy and diverse economy. Towards that end, this week Congressman Murphy organized a group of House lawmakers in calling on the US Olympic Committee to buy uniforms ‘Made in the USA.’

Every four years, fans all over the world tune in to watch their nation’s top athletes compete for the Olympic gold medal. This year, the excitement for Americans was dampened when the U.S. Olympic Committee announced that Olympians at the opening ceremony would wear uniforms made in China.

In light of the Committee’s decision, Murphy urged the group to adopt a “Buy American” policy.

“The decision to outsource the making of uniforms to China is an affront to those hard-working Americans who would otherwise be gainfully employed,” Murphy stated in the letter.

The full text of the letter can be read here.

To learn more about Congressman Murphy’s efforts to promote American manufacturing, click here.

To share your thoughts with Congressman Murphy on his letter to the U.S. Olympic Committee, please click here.

Murphy Applauds House Passage of Defense Appropriations Act

This week, the House passed the FY13 Department of Defense Appropriations Act (H.R. 5586), which includes legislative language to prohibit the Pentagon from spending any taxpayer dollars on the retirement or transfer of aircraft from the 911th Airlift Wing and 171st Air National Guard.

The bill provides $518.1 billion for the Pentagon’s base budget, the same as the fiscal 2012 level. The measure also provides about $87.7 billion for overseas contingencies, including operations in Afghanistan, and cuts aid to Pakistan.

“Our nation faces emerging threats across the globe, which is why our service members must have the necessary tools to do their jobs effectively,” said Congressman Murphy. “With passage of this legislation, we’ve taken critical steps toward keeping our country safe and ensuring our military is prepared for engagements in the future.”

Section 8116 of the FY 2013 Defense Appropriations bill freezes the proposed retirement or transfer of all Air Force aircraft, including the C-130s at 911th. The bill would also stop the Pentagon from removing four KC-135 refueling aircraft from the 171st Air National Guard station. The House has already approved a companion defense planning bill, the FY2013 National Defense Authorization Act, which also stops the Air Force from moving forward with C-130 aircraft retirements planned in the upcoming fiscal year.

“Our region’s military families should be especially heartened to know that this legislation blocks the Pentagon from closing down the 911th Airlift Wing. But even with passage of the House bill, our efforts are not finished, and I’m going to keep working to save the 911th — one of the most accomplished and cost-effective bases in the country,” said Murphy.

Congressman Murphy also announced his support of an amendment from Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL) to prevent the Pentagon from imposing a new enrollment fee on TRICARE, an insurance plan for military families. Murphy, who has long opposed increasing enrollment fees for TRICARE, vowed to continue to push for adoption of H.R. 652, which would prevent any active duty from having their TRICARE fees raised.

The legislation now heads to Senate for further consideration.

To share your thoughts with Congressman Murphy on the passage of the Defense Appropriations Act, please click here.

Exciting News for VLP of Western Pennsylvania

Rep. Murphy announced more positive news for veterans in Southwestern PA as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) pledged federal grant funds to the Veterans Leadership Program of Western Pennsylvania (VLP) for support services of homeless and at-risk veteran families.

The VLP, formed in 1982 by a group of local Vietnam veterans who joined together to meet the needs of returning soldiers in the community, provides essential housing, employment, and other vital supportive services for eligible veterans, service members and their families to improve self-sufficiency, sustainability and quality of life.

“I’m thrilled to announce another victory for Southwestern Pennsylvania service members and veterans,” said Congressman Murphy. “By working together, we’ve fought to keep the 911th Air Wing open, secured a new commissary for veterans and military personnel, and now through this VA grant, we’ll be meeting the essential health and safety needs of our veterans. VLP will help to put countless homeless and at-risk veterans back on their feet—giving them the dignity of work and productivity.”

In March, Rep. Murphy wrote a letter in support of the VLP grant application, stating that funding would enable VLP to “work to improve housing stability for low-income veterans and their families, along with carrying out their four other programs that all have the collective goal of assisting veterans who are facing tough obstacles as they transition back into civilian life.”

Under the grant, the VLP will offer Veterans and their family members outreach, case management, assistance in obtaining VA benefits and assistance in getting other public benefits. The community-based group can offer temporary financial assistance on behalf of Veterans for rent payments, utility payments, security deposits and moving costs. More information about VA’s homeless programs is available on the Internet at www.va.gov/homeless. Details about the Supportive Services for Veteran Families program, which funded the VLP, are online at www.va.gov/homeless/ssvf.asp.

In related news, earlier in the week Congressman Murphy met with representatives from the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) in his Capitol Hill office to discuss their great work in support of injured service members, especially those suffering with PTSD and long-term traumatic brain injuries. Murphy, who also serves a Lt. Commander at Walter Reed National Military Hospital in Bethesda, gives special counsel to returning soldiers with PTSD and related TBI disorders.

With some estimates suggesting more than 600,000 veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan will suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, traumatic brain injury, depression, or similar illnesses, Congressman Murphy has made it a priority to ensure that service members receive the mental healthcare that they need after returning from combat theatre. To learn more about how the Wounded Warrior Project helps servicemen and women, visit their official website.

To share your thoughts with Congressman Murphy on veteran’s issues, please click here.

A backstage look at Rep. Murphy's Fox News interview.

Rep. Murphy In The News

Congressman Murphy joined Fox Business Money’s Melissa Francis for an exclusive look at his new bill, the CBO Transparency Act, which was endorsed by Americans for Tax Reform and requires the CBO to publicly release all information and data used to score legislation. You can watch the interview online here.

On July 18, Rep. Murphy spoke to Dick Uliano on Sirius XM’s Radio’s POTUS Channel about Governor Mitt Romney’s recent visit to Pittsburgh.

Murphy discussed his CBO Transparency bill in a speech on the House Floor July 19. To watch the speech, visit the Congressman’s official YouTube page.

On July 20, the Congressman joined KDKA radio for a discussion on the House’s passage of the Defense Appropriations Act, which included language to save the 911th Airlift Wing.