http://www.tomrooney.com/index.php/site/index/ en rob@brushfiredigital.com Copyright 2010 2010-01-26T18:14:13+00:00 http://www.tomrooney.com/index.php/site/rep._tom_rooney_visits_the_tragedy_in_haiti/ http://www.tomrooney.com/index.php/site/rep._tom_rooney_visits_the_tragedy_in_haiti/#When:18:14:13Z WPTV - NewsChannel 5 interview Rep. Tom Rooney as he visits the tragedy in Haiti. CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE VIDEO PETIT GOAVE, HAITI - A seventeen year old Haitian girl lies on a table surrounded by American missionaries, medical volunteers, and a U.S. Congressman, all hoping and praying the baby she's trying to deliver will survive in this disaster ravaged country. "Poussez, Poussez!" shouts a nurse, urging the teen to push harder. The medical team, assembled from a collection of volunteers from across the United States and Haiti, tries to work under the glow of a single generator-powered L.E.D. light. The country, now in its 13th day since the earthquake, is still living without electric power. "She'll have to get this baby out before it gets dark," says one volunteer, the room dimming in the late afternoon sun. Outside the tiny cinderblock room where the teen is giving birth, more nurses, doctors and volunteers work beneath tents and in the open air under trees. This is not a medical clinic, or at least it wasn't before the earthquake-- it was the grounds of a church. But the disaster has turned the facility, what's left of it, into the only medical facility within miles. Nearby hospitals sit in piles of rubble. Sarah Franklin of Stuart cradles a 4 1/2 month old baby boy. Just an hour or so earlier, the child came to the clinic listless, his vital signs weak - a sign of malaria. "He was almost dead," said Franklin. The volunteers ended up administering an IV into the child's tiny leg. Half of a water bottle covers the insertion point to keep it clean. Medical supplies are scarce, especially in this village 20 milers from Port-au-Prince, so the volunteers make due with what they have. The baby's twin sister lies inches away, also perking up and even showing a smile thanks to the life saving care. "They're only 10 pounds, the size of a newborn, even though they're 4 months old. They're so underweight," says Franklin. I ask her about her medical training and that's when she explains she has none. She is a waitress at Carson's Pub in Stuart. Her mother planned to go to Haiti to help with the relief effort and she followed. Now she's wearing medical scrubs cradling a baby whose life she helped save. Back in the cinderblock room where the teen is delivering, there is no celebration when the baby emerges. It's a little girl, but she is silent. No newborn cry. A physician rushes the child over to a towel-covered crate and places an oxygen mask on the baby's mouth, pumping it by hand. Minutes pass. U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney of Tequesta gathers near. He flew into Haiti this morning along with Florida Sen. Joe Negron of Stuart in an effort to assess the needs of the island and to visit Martin County volunteers at the clinic. Then a weak cry, more like a squeak, comes out of the child's mouth, followed by another. All of the volunteers seem to exhale at once, relieved. But the child is not out of the woods yet points out Gary Urban. Urban founded Family Private Care, a private nursing company based out of Martin County. He coordinated the group of volunteers to staff this clinic for 5 days. Urban askes Rooney to travel to the nearest military outpost and ask for help. The twins, the newborn, and a fourth child all need more advanced medical care that's beyond the resources of the tiny makeshift clinic. Rooney travels half a mile down the road and talks his way into a U.S. military outpost, set up to distribute food and water for the recovery effort. He waits to talk to the commanding officer at the post, hoping to coax him into diverting a Blackhawk helicopter to fly the four children offshore, where a Navy hospital boat is docked. Then Sarah Franklin and the other volunteers drive up carrying the babies, all outfitted with IV's the volunteers are holding over their heads. "This baby is going to die if he does not get more help," says one nurse, cradling a newborn with one hand, an IV bag i nthe other. The desperate display is apparently enough to convince the outpost's colonel to change his supply plans and transport the children to the ship. Night has fallen and the medical volunteers, along with some Congressional help, managed to save or at least stabilize four new lives. Tomorrow at daybreak hundreds more Haitians will line up at that same open air clinic, looking for more life saving help. 2010-01-26T18:14:13+00:00 http://www.tomrooney.com/index.php/site/accuracy_in_media_briefing_with_rep._tom_rooney/ http://www.tomrooney.com/index.php/site/accuracy_in_media_briefing_with_rep._tom_rooney/#When:15:57:33Z Rep. Tom Rooney discusses the push to close Guantanamo and potential for disaster from subsequent criminal trials. 2009-12-29T15:57:33+00:00 http://www.tomrooney.com/index.php/site/merry_christmas_and_happy_new_year/ http://www.tomrooney.com/index.php/site/merry_christmas_and_happy_new_year/#When:17:10:16Z Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Congressman & Mrs. Thomas J. Rooney, Tommy, Sean and Seamus And behold an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the brightness of God shone round about them; and they feared with a great fear. And the angel said to them: Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, that shall be to all the people: For, this day, is born to you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David. And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God, and saying: Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good will. Luke 2:9-14 2009-12-22T17:10:16+00:00 http://www.tomrooney.com/index.php/site/editorial_u.s._rep._rooney_right_to_call_for_mandatory_mental_health_screen/ http://www.tomrooney.com/index.php/site/editorial_u.s._rep._rooney_right_to_call_for_mandatory_mental_health_screen/#When:19:06:51Z War is hell, and the wars the U.S. military is fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan are a particular kind of hell, witness suicide bombings, inordinate deaths of innocent civilian women and children and the destructive power of roadside bombs maiming and killing friends and comrades. What the nation's service personnel have witnessed are scenes no one should experience. And, the images can be compounded with multiple tours and little time to reconnect with the normalcy of the life they have temporarily left behind. Because of this kind of military service, the Armed Forces could, perhaps, have predicted an increase in depression, post-traumatic stress syndrome and suicide among military personnel returning home. But, only in the past couple of years have the problems been recognized as a crisis and steps taken to deal with mental health issues. More than 1.7 million Americans have served in the two wars. Some experts estimate as many as 35 percent of returning soldiers suffer depression or will suffer depression. Suicides among military men and women reached a record level last year and likely will be higher this year. Still, many veterans coming home fail to seek or get help for their mental problems. Speaking in a Pentagon briefing in November, Gen. Peter Chiarelli, the Army's vice chief of staff, said, "It is absolutely unacceptable to have individuals suffering in silence because they’re afraid their peers or superiors will make fun of them or, worse, it will adversely affect their careers." In part because of the stigma attached to mental problems — even if combat related — U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Tequesta, joined with Michael McMahon, D-New York, in sponsoring legislation earlier this year to make mental health evaluations mandatory for returning troops. They also want to broaden access to professional counseling for veterans. Currently, service members must fill out a mental health assessment before coming home. If they note problems, they can be kept for treatment. "The delay in returning home coupled with the stigma associated with reaching out for help to treat a mental injury prevents soldiers from being honest in their assessments," said Rooney, a veteran himself. "A mandatory screening for all service members can reduce the growing rates of suicides amongst service members while fighting this debilitating stigma." The bill has not passed, but some language from it was included in the Defense Authorization Bill for 2010. But, it leaves out two key ingredients. It doesn’t make the screening mandatory and it doesn’t require that the evaluations be done by mental health professionals. "When you send these guys to war, you've got to take care of them when they get home," Rooney said. "I don’t want kids who are coming back home now to be homeless in 30 years because they weren’t treated. I see that as a direct failure of our government to take care of the people we sent to war." The military is taking steps to combat the problems by urging personnel to understand and recognize problems experienced by their peers and by training additional personnel in mental health evaluations and treatment. It’s also working with the National Institute of Mental Health to develop new training techniques for soldiers to better care for their problems. With more troops now committed to Afghanistan, the number of soldiers experiencing mental health problems likely will grow. Rooney’s approach to mandatory screening makes sense and he has pledged to continue fighting for those military personnel who need help but may be unwilling to ask for it. Providing counseling and treatment can be a tremendous aid to returning soldiers. Importantly, it can also be a tremendous aid for their families and their communities. Click Here for TCPalm.com article 2009-12-14T19:06:51+00:00 http://www.tomrooney.com/index.php/site/help_a_hero_this_holiday/ http://www.tomrooney.com/index.php/site/help_a_hero_this_holiday/#When:15:25:47Z Join Congressman Tom Rooney this Sunday December 13 at a motorcycle ride and barbque in support of the Veterans Airlift Command. The Veterans Airlift Command provides free air transportation to wounded warriors, veterans and their families for medical and other compassionate purposes through a national network of volunteer aircraft owners and pilots. 2009-12-09T15:25:47+00:00 http://www.tomrooney.com/index.php/site/rooney_preps_thanksgiving_meals_for_charity/ http://www.tomrooney.com/index.php/site/rooney_preps_thanksgiving_meals_for_charity/#When:00:00:37Z WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Congressman Tom Rooney participated in delivering prepared Thanksgiving meals to needy families in Stuart, FL. Volunteers rolled up their sleeves Saturday to start preparing Thanksgiving dinners for thousands of needy families. Click Here to View Video Dozens of volunteers stood shoulder to shoulder to prepare the turkey dinners and all the fixings. The cooking started Saturday and will continue through Wednesday thanks to the Big Heart Brigade. The Big Heart Brigade is one of many local organizations helping to feed folks from the Treasure Coast to Miami-Dade. "This is the 17th year the Big Heart Brigade has been feeding people all over Palm Beach County, but in those years, we've spread out to be from Fort Pierce all the way down to Homestead," an organizer said. "The heart brigade Thanksgiving feast has always been a community project. Christ Fellowship provides the leadership for the volunteers but we welcome anybody from anywhere to come and volunteer at our site." Volunteers said they they were happy knowing that they were fortunate enough to be able to help others in need. "It makes me feel pretty good," said Ashley Walker, 16. "I mean, it's nice to help other people who don't have the luxuries that we have, and this way, they can enjoy things we enjoy every day and take for granted. So, it feels good." While the brigade provides Thanksgiving meals to thousands every year, organizers said they decided to start preparations early this year because of the lagging economy. The Big Heart Brigade was able to feed 51,000 people last year, organizers said. This year, they're preparing to feed 60,000. http://www.wpbf.com/video/21726284/index.html 2009-11-26T00:00:37+00:00 http://www.tomrooney.com/index.php/site/test/ http://www.tomrooney.com/index.php/site/test/#When:22:13:44Z STUART, FL -- Before he became a Congressman, Tom Rooney served in the Army JAG Corps in Ft. Hood, Texas. For him the recent massacre at the world's largest military base is personal. "It‘s an emotional time, some of our friends still work there in the base at Ft. Hood, but I’m sure they’re going to throw the book at this guy," said Rep. Rooney, a Republican representing Florida's 16th Congressional District. Click Here for Video The more he learns about suspected gunman Nidal Hassan, the more he wonders, "How a guy that has been flagged for poor performance and for suspicious activity would then be sent to a place like Ft. Hood." It's a place of high stress, says Rooney, where soldiers are deployed and redeployed into combat daily. Congressman Rooney says he supports the Army investigation into how Maj. Hassan advanced through the ranks and who knew about warning signs, like his connection to a radical Islamic cleric. "Unfortunately the relationship with the Imam was only known by the FBI they did not share that with the Department of Defense which is kind of maddening to me because that was the problem we had after 9-11 was that major federal departments were not communicating with each other," said Rooney. As a veteran and former professor at West Point, Rooney says he wants to give the Army the benefit of the doubt but adds Congress needs to ask tough questions to try and insure this kind of violence, 13 murdered soldiers, doesn‘t happen again. "What did the Army know, when did they know it did they turn a blind eye to it or was this something that was miscommunication by federal agencies?" asks Rooney. He says these are the questions he will be asking when he returns to Washington D.C. following the Thanksgiving holiday. 2009-11-25T22:13:44+00:00 http://www.tomrooney.com/index.php/site/politico_freshman_form_unlikely_alliance/ http://www.tomrooney.com/index.php/site/politico_freshman_form_unlikely_alliance/#When:02:32:51Z Freshman Rep. Mike McMahon (D-N.Y.) returned to his office and found his entire staff abuzz. "Congressman Tom Rooney stopped by," they excitedly told him. McMahon was confused. He had briefly met the Florida lawmaker at a freshman orientation, but Rooney was a ... Republican. And at a time when divisions over health care, financial regulation and energy have driven bipartisanship to the brink of extinction, the visit was enough to raise some eyebrows. As it turns out, he wanted to team up. And the relationship that resulted from this unlikely outreach has since created not only a pair of legislative accomplishments but also something even less common on Capitol Hill: an across-the-aisle friendship. "Someday, instead of talking about McCain–Feingold, you’ll be talking about Rooney–McMahon," McMahon says. Rooney, a veteran of the Army JAG Corps, approached McMahon in February after learning of his work on veteran mental health care issues. "I got wind that Mike was also very interested in this topic, and not knowing the way that Washington works, I just walked over here and walked in on his staff,"Rooney recalls. "When they said, 'Congressman Rooney walked into the office,' I was like, 'Uh-oh,'"recalls McMahon, who initially dismissed Rooney’s gesture. "At the time, actually, I thought he was in the building, so I was like, 'Maybe he just walked by,'" McMahon said, "but he came all the way over" from the Longworth Office Building. (Although that’s not far for civilians, the short walk to the building next door is considered a journey on Capitol Hill.) McMahon was impressed that Rooney had stopped by in person rather than sending a member of his staff. “He just came walking in,” McMahon says. To McMahon, a 52-year-old seasoned politician who spent six years on the New York City Council, working with the other side isn’t shocking. "Washington is a little different, maybe, than where we come from,” he says, “but we want to get something done. If you want to get something done, you talk to the other side. You find somebody.” Positive working relationships between Republicans and Democrats can lead to actual friendships on the Hill, but most cross-aisle alliances tend to take place in the Senate. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) was famously close with the late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.). But Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Russ Feingold of Wisconsin have the most notable Republican-Democratic partnership. And don’t forget Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) and former Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), who were practically attached at the hip. And we can’t overlook Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and her pal Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), who "are really very good friends," Boxer told POLITICO this month. The 435-member House of Representatives has its share, as well. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman (D-Calif.) gets along swimmingly with his ranking member, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.). "I enjoy a friendly, professional relationship with Howard as we work on the difficult international issues of the day," she tells POLITICO. And Reps. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) and John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) have formed an alliance: They are co-chairmen of the Bourbon Caucus. Then there’s Rep. David Dreier (R-Calif.), who has 28 years of experience in the House and has crossed party lines regularly. He smokes cigars with Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) and can be seen walking to the other side of the chamber to pat the backs of the people he’s been debating just moments before. Although still in its honeymoon stage, the Rooney-McMahon union has already produced tangible results. McMahon and Rooney have co-sponsored two bills on the issue both consider pressing: H.R. 1308, the Veterans Mental Health Assessments and Screenings Act, and H.R. 3839, the CARES Act (Counselor Accessibility Reform and Expansion for Soldiers). Part of H.R. 1308 was included in the National Defense Authorization Act, while CARES has been introduced and is collecting co-sponsorship. Rooney, a lanky 38-year-old up-and-comer, understands Congress’s current balance of power makes crossing party lines essential for Republicans like him. "None of this would have gotten done without Mike," he says. “I’m in the minority. I can’t do anything without a Democrat helping me, so the fact he was willing to get on board with this is really moving because of him. I really appreciate it.” Lawmakers are perhaps most receptive to cross-party alliances as freshmen, before cynicism has a chance to take hold. "Some people come here in their freshman year expecting [to reach across the aisle]," says Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.). "Others, it’s the opposite. They really [buy] into their party. Their party is great, and the other party is morally inferior," King says. But the good ones "know you have to find a way to get along." McMahon and Rooney say their working relationship has blossomed into a budding friendship. When speaking with Rooney, “you don’t feel like you’re talking to a politician," McMahon says, without a hint of irony. So how far are the two friends willing to go for each other? How about the campaign trail? "Um, I think that would be off-limits," Rooney says. McMahon, for his part, says: "If my going to Florida and my endorsement of his opponent would help him, I’d be glad to do it." Nevertheless, the lawmakers expect big things from their bipartisan relationship. "It’s the beginning of better things to come here in Washington," McMahon says. "I think people want less divisive rancor, and they want people working together. They want things to get done." By: Anne Schroeder Mullins November 19, 2009 2009-11-20T02:32:51+00:00 http://www.tomrooney.com/index.php/site/rooney_joins_public_rally_opposing_pelosis_health_care_bill/ http://www.tomrooney.com/index.php/site/rooney_joins_public_rally_opposing_pelosis_health_care_bill/#When:23:49:38Z Recently, I had the opportunity to attend and participate in the health care "house call" on Capitol Hill with tens of thousands of fed-up, patriotic Americans who oppose the extreme liberal agenda being advanced by Speaker Pelosi and President Obama. I can't say for certain what Speaker Pelosi did over her August recess, but I spent it hosting health care town halls, listening to my neighbors' concerns about this proposed federal take-over of health care. I was proud to join many fellow Floridians on the west lawn of the Capitol to reiterate these same concerns. This image sums up the message that the massive crowd gathered on the west lawn of the Capitol was trying to send to Speaker Pelosi and President Obama: We oppose your $1 trillion, 2,000 page, one-size-fits all, federally-run health care plan. -Tom Rooney 2009-11-06T23:49:38+00:00 http://www.tomrooney.com/index.php/site/army_times_bipartisan_mental_health_bills_move_forward/ http://www.tomrooney.com/index.php/site/army_times_bipartisan_mental_health_bills_move_forward/#When:19:08:31Z Two freshman lawmakers who crossed party lines to collaborate on a military mental health screening bill that is about to become law are now working on their next joint venture. Reps. Michael McMahon, D-N.Y., and Thomas Rooney, R-Fla., don't see eye to eye on a lot of issues, but they teamed up in March to sponsor legislation requiring mandatory and confidential one-on-one mental health screening for all returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. They saw this as a response to the increasing rate of suicides and attempted suicides among service members. "We cannot afford to keep losing the brave young men and women to suicide," said McMahon, a former New York City Council member who serves on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and its Coast Guard subcommittee. McMahon said that in the Army alone, about 120 soldiers have killed themselves this year, a figure he called "frightening." Rooney, a former Army judge advocate who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, said face-to-face mental health assessments are more likely to discover issues that might not be caught by the written assessments now used by returning troops. "If there ever were an issue where there should be bipartisan backing, this is it," Rooney said. "We have a lot of work to do. We are not completely where we want to be in making sure combat veterans get the help they need." "There is a lot of potential for us to work together," said McMahon, noting that he has experience working on mental health issues and Rooney has experience serving in the military. The two lawmakers, who really don’t have much in common, got together on the issue of mental health when Rooney walked in cold, without an appointment, asking to see McMahon because he had heard they were both working on similar legislation. McMahon, who said he worked with Republicans on the New York City Council, didn’t see any reason not to work together. "It isn’t as if this is a Democrat or Republican issue," he said. "It is in the interest of everyone to get this done." Under the provision to the 2010 defense authorization bill that they sponsored, the Defense Department has six months to set up mandatory mental health screening. The bill, HR 2647, received final approval from Congress on Thursday. McMahon and Rooney continue to work together. Their new joint effort is a bill introduced Oct. 15 that would give Tricare beneficiaries direct access to mental health counseling without requiring a referral from a primary care doctor. For this bill, HR 1308, they include active-duty service members among Tricare beneficiaries even though most service members receive their medical care and counseling directly from military providers rather than from the private sector. Rooney said turning to Tricare to help with mental health coverage has advantages in that the military doesn’t have all of the mental health professionals it needs and some service members may prefer to get help from nonmilitary sources, believing that would have less impact on their career. But Rooney said Tricare rules are cumbersome and need to be changed to make this happen. In particular, Tricare requires referrals for mental health counselling and supervision of the counseling, restrictions that would be dropped under the bill. Called the Counselor Accessibility Reform and Expansion for Soldiers Act, or CARES Act, the bill would allow anyone covered under Tricare to have the same access to mental health care professionals that many people covered under private insurance enjoy today. Rooney said this addresses another key issue in suicide preventiion — access to professional counselors. "We cannot overstate the need for adequate, efficient mental health services for our men and women in the armed forces," McMahon said. Army Times By Rick Maze - Staff writer http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/10/military_mentalhealth_congress_102309w/ 2009-10-24T19:08:31+00:00