Letter from Shelley
Friends and Colleagues,
The State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and terrorist surveillance were both back in the news this week as the House tackled a busy legislative schedule.
SCHIP Debate Continues
Following a two week delay, the House held a vote to override the President’s veto of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) on Thursday. As a long-time supporter of the SCHIP program – particularly given the program’s success in West Virginia – I joined a bipartisan group of congressional colleagues in voting to override the President’s veto this week.
Yet, with the veto override vote behind us, we now have an obligation to work toward another compromise on this important issue. We all support healthcare for West Virginia’s children and we need to move quickly to find an agreement.
Terrorist Surveillance
The House this week also considered Democratic-sponsored legislation that would have hampered our intelligence community and re-opened a terrorist loophole. The Democratic leadership, however, pulled the bill off the House agenda after Republicans offered an amendment to strengthen terrorist surveillance capabilities.
In August, the House passed the Protect America Act to modernize our intelligence capabilities and close a legal loophole that forced intelligence officials to get a warrant before listening to a phone conversation between two known foreign terrorists. The legislation debated this week – which I opposed – would have completely reversed that progress.
Our laws should protect the rights of American citizens, not the rights of foreign terrorists.
Action Needed on Veterans Bill
Unfortunately, I continue to be disappointed that the House has yet to consider legislation to provide an additional $4.4 billion for our nation’s veterans. The merits of the bill have received bipartisan support, but the Democratic leadership in the House has yet to take steps that would move this bill toward final passage.
Congress must ensure that West Virginia service members and veterans have the support they deserve.
Sincerely,
Member of Congress
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Capito Reaffirms SCHIP Support
WASHINGTON, October 17, 2007 – Rep. Capito questions John W. Cox, the Chief Financial Officer of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, at a hearing before a House Financial Services Subcommittee. To watch a portion of the hearing, click here.
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...
Op-Ed: Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Martinsburg Journal
By Rep. Shelley Moore Capito
October 17, 2007
Most of us know someone — maybe a mother, an aunt, a grandmother or a teacher — who has been diagnosed with this terrible illness. In the case of my family, my husband, Charles, lost his mother and aunt to breast cancer. Needless to say, the fight against cancer is not something any family takes lightly.
Breast cancer struck again recently as my good friend and Congressional colleague, Rep. Jo Ann Davis of Virginia, lost her battle with cancer. She is survived by her husband, two sons and a granddaughter.
This year alone, more than 180,000 people in the United States — about 2,000 of them men — will be diagnosed, and nearly 40,000 will die from breast cancer. West Virginia will account for nearly 1,300 of those new cases and approximately 300 deaths.
Yet, as ominous as these numbers seem, there is hope. With early detection, the survival rate among breast cancer patients soars to more than 98 percent. Regular breast self-exams, mammograms and clinical breast exams help ensure that more than two-thirds of all breast cancer cases are caught in their early stages.
Of course, that also means that for about one-third of breast cancer patients, their late diagnosis gives the cancer a leg up in an already unfair fight.
Our challenge is to close the gap and continue to raise awareness about the importance of early detection and prevention. It’s with that goal in mind that Breast Cancer Awareness Month has become such an important event.
For more than 20 years, the month of October has been a time to highlight the fight against breast cancer, while educating women — and men — about fighting the disease.
Unlike many other forms of cancer, breast cancer is largely treatable, but not if we ignore early screening efforts. Women must be proactive about early detection and must conduct screening methods long before they suspect cancer.
In fact, women should conduct regular breast self-exams and receive regular clinical breast exams starting at age 20, adding mammograms at age 40 and increasing the frequency of each as they get older.
As a mother of a college-age daughter, regular screening is something my daughter and I talk about openly, particularly given our family’s history with breast cancer.
To read the full text of this story, click here.
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