By Tom Waring
Wire Staff Writer
The two challengers in the 8th Congressional District debated last week in front of the Bucks County Democratic Committee, and Shaughnessy Naughton highlighted her plan to push for a permanent ban on natural gas drilling in the district.
“The Delaware River is one of Bucks County’s — and Pennsylvania’s — most valuable resources and provides drinking water to more than 15 million people,” Naughton said. “The general public still doesn’t know what chemicals are used in fracking, and I’m not willing to take that gamble with the purity of our drinking water.”
Naughton and Kevin Strouse are seeking the Democratic nomination in the May 20 primary. They must collect 1,000 nominating petitions by March 11 to win a spot on the ballot.
The Bucks County Democratic Committee was expected to meet on Saturday, Feb. 22, after the deadline for the Midweek Wire, to consider an endorsement.
The Democrats are trying to unseat U.S. Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick, a Republican seeking his fourth term. Fitzpatrick served from 2005–06 before losing his seat. He won back the seat in 2010. The district includes all of Bucks County and a portion of Montgomery County.
On Feb. 11, the League of Conservation Voters released a scorecard for members of Congress. Fitzpatrick received a score of 25 percent for his 2013 votes on environment-related bills. His career score is 48 percent.
In an effort to draw a contrast with Strouse, the Naughton campaign points to an Aug. 28 Midweek Wire story in which Strouse says, “I support natural gas drilling.” The Naughton campaign also noted that Strouse said he wants to “let the experts decide” on whether or not fracking would have environmental consequences.
However, Strouse campaign manager Brendan McPhillips said that his candidate, a married father of two who lives in Bensalem, favors a moratorium on drilling locally and repeal of a law that prohibits the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating hydraulic fracturing.
“Kevin has always supported the moratorium on drilling in the Delaware Valley,” McPhillips said in a statement. “Nothing is more important to Kevin than making sure his two young children grow up in a healthy environment. He has repeatedly stated that when elected to Congress he would work to repeal the Halliburton loophole and require all energy companies to abide by the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act.”
Naughton, a publishing company owner and scientist from Point Pleasant, recalled attending “Dump the Pump” rallies as a child in the 1980s in protest of a water supply project in her hometown of Point Pleasant. Opponents worried that the pumping station would have a negative impact on the Delaware River and lead to further residential development. The project was ultimately approved.
Naughton said she is better positioned to fight for clean water and other environmental concerns than Strouse or Fitzpatrick.
“The 8th district needs a leader who understands the value of the Delaware,” she said. “Mike Fitzpatrick has a 25-percent rating from the League of Conservation Voters, and Kevin Strouse wants to let the frackers decide if they should frack. I am the only candidate in this race who has been willing to stand up and say, ‘Not on my watch.’ ”
••
Fitzpatrick last week sent a letter that called on President Barack Obama to stop further cuts to Medicare Advantage that he said could increase costs for nearly 38,000 seniors in the 8th district.
In 2013, the Medicare Advantage program was cut by more than 6 percent in compliance with the Affordable Care Act, resulting in increased out-of-pocket costs and decreased access to doctors for enrollees.
Fitzpatrick said current indications show that the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services will announce another round of cuts for 2015 as part of the president’s healthcare law. Many enrollees saw out-of-pocket costs increase from $400 to $1,000.
“We should be working to increase healthcare choices for seniors, not squeezing them, especially when we consider these programs to be most effective and satisfactory. I urge the administration to stop these harmful cuts,” Fitzpatrick wrote in his letter. “A new round of cuts could prove detrimental to seniors in my district and nationwide, as they are forced to bear the brunt of the costs.”
Medicare Advantage plans are health plans offered by private companies that contract with Medicare to provide participants with benefits. Nationwide, there are more than 15 million senior citizens enrolled in the program.
“These policies offer accessible health care while saving beneficiaries out-of-pocket expenses. By focusing on prevention and disease management, Medicare Advantage plans contain costs and helps keep seniors out of expensive facilities,” Fitzpatrick wrote. “I remain a proponent of Medicare Advantage and will work to strengthen the program at a level that meets the expectations of all seniors.”
••
Meanwhile, Fitzpatrick is happy that President Obama signed a measure he led through the House of Representatives that restores pension cost-of-living adjustments for military veterans and ensures that physicians who treat Medicare patients are adequately compensated.
The bill guarantees that all service men and women enlisted in the U.S. military prior to Jan. 1 of this year will receive the full cost-of-living adjustments in retirement, before and after age 62. It undoes the 1-percent COLA reduction found in the budget agreement signed into law in December.
Moreover, the legislation provides a fund to guarantee physicians are fairly compensated for their work until long-term reform of the sustainable growth rate is passed by Congress later this year.
“I’m glad President Obama acted swiftly to sign this important legislation into law and offer a sense of stability to both our military veterans and our nation’s seniors,” Fitzpatrick said.
“Our military men and women have borne the battle to protect our rights and liberties. This law is another way we can demonstrate the gratitude of the nation for their service — by making sure they’re fairly compensated in their retirement.”
