Bradley Byrne: Recapping my trip to Cuba
I recently traveled to Cuba as part of a Congressional Delegation to learn more about the Cuban government, visit with the Cuban people, and discuss everything from the economy to education to trade. This visit came at a particularly interesting time as the United States remains in negotiations with Cuba about restoring diplomatic and economic relations. You may remember that late last year President Barack Obama announced that he had decided unilaterally to normalize relations with Cuba for the first time in over 50 years. I was immediately concerned by this announcement because the President had once again decided to act alone without any consultation with Congress. This pattern of executive overreach has been far too common from the Obama administration. I also had serious concerns about normalizing relations with Cuba while the Castro regime was still in power. Despite these reservations, I do want to see the United States and Cuba reach the point where diplomatic relations can be fully restored and the Congressionally imposed trade embargo can be lifted. I also realize that the city of Mobile and all of Southwest Alabama is uniquely suited to potentially benefit from improved relations with Cuba. That’s why I accepted an opportunity to travel to Cuba and see the progress for myself. I was joined on the trip by four other Members of Congress, two of whom represent southern port cities like I do. Upon arrival, we immediately met with the Cuban Foreign Minister and his staff. We had a very serious conversation about the ongoing negotiations, and I expressed my concerns about the need for mutual assurances on security matters and human rights. I also made clear that it isn’t the responsibility or intention of the United States to change the way Cuba runs their country. That is a decision that the Cubans must reach on their own. The next day we traveled out to the Port of Mariel, which is west of Havana. The port is well positioned and has a lot of room for expansion. It is only two years old and still under construction. It has a capacity for 800,000 containers, but they are only handling around 260,000 containers at present. I talked with the Port officials about ways the United States can slowly open up trade opportunities instead of lifting the trade embargo all at once. We talked extensively about transshipments, which would allow goods from the larger Post-Panamax ships soon to be passing through the Panama Canal to be moved onto smaller ships that could then dock at ports along the Gulf Coast, like the Port of Mobile. That is, at least until our port is dredged to the appropriate depth to support these new vessels. During the trip we also had the opportunity to visit with officials from the Catholic Church, small business owners, scholars, medical students, and many ordinary Cubans. Each group faces some pretty significant challenges, but they all expressed optimism. At each stop, it became clear that Cuba is a beautiful country full of remarkable people. I believe there is legitimate potential for strong ties between our two countries. Unfortunately, they have a long way to go to achieve their legitimate desire to participate in the world economy. Cuba must continue to make improvements in their infrastructure, as well as progress in the treatment of its citizens. Cuba must also build trust with the United States by no longer allowing known U.S. adversaries like Russia to operate militarily in Cuban airspace and waters. I know that one day the trade embargo will be repealed, the Cuban people will engage in economic activities with the United States, and Americans will be able to freely travel to Cuba. While that day is not yet here, I look forward to continuing to be a positive, proactive participant in the negotiations. Bradley Byrne is a member of the U.S. Congress representing Alabama’s 1st Congressional District.
Chris Christie betting 2016 presidential hopes on town halls to connect with voters
If Chris Christie runs for president, there’s little doubt people will see plenty of the town halls the New Jersey governor is known for. That anything-goes format is his comfort zone, and voters tend to like it. Christie spent hours answering questions at two town hall-style events during the past week in South Carolina: one planned, the other an impromptu session in the back room of a bar. He’ll be doing the same in Iowa in the days ahead. Such get-togethers “are something that I’ve been doing for a long time in New Jersey,” Christie told the crowd at Tommy’s Country Ham House in Greenville. To be precise, he’s done 138 such events, most in New Jersey. He said he will do many more. Christie’s aptitude for answering questions on the fly pleases his audiences and fits well in states such as New Hampshire where voters expect close-up interaction, repeatedly, from presidential candidates. But that tradition is less robust in South Carolina and elsewhere, where advertising and organization count for more. Christie says he will decide this month whether to run for the 2016 Republican nomination. “Just walking into a space and holding a town hall is not something we typically have,” said Leighton Lord, a college friend of Christie who lives in South Carolina and has been acting as his liaison. “He’s much, much more likable when people see him in person than the way he’s portrayed nationally.” Gloria Roberts, among the more than 200 people at the ham house, called Christie “extremely impressive and I believe he does what he says.” Roberts, 69, a retired software company who lives in nearly Piedmont, said she was “totally going in another direction” before she heard Christie speak. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz had topped her list of 2016 favorites. Ninety minutes later, that had changed. Christie “makes you feel like you can believe in the government,” she said. “He makes you feel strong and safe.” Some remained skeptical. Gary Abbe, 61, a chiropractor who describes himself as a fiscal and social conservative, praised Christie for his honesty and for taking unfiltered questions. “Doesn’t mean he’s in my top five,” said Abbe, who prefers Cruz, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson. South Carolina has changed in recent decades, with an influx of voters from states such as Ohio and New Jersey, especially along the state’s coast, GOP officials say. Plus, there’s a large military presence. “A lot of folks feel like South Carolina is strictly the social conservative vote and that’s really not the case,” said Eaddy Willard, chairman of the Richland County Republicans. He hosted Christie’s meet-and-greet event at the Liberty Tap Room, which turned into a freewheeling 90-minute session. Christie apparently lost track of time. He wound up late for a private meeting with Gov. Nikki Haley and another event. GOP consultant Chip Felkel, who worked for George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush, said Christie lags behind GOP rivals in setting up an operation in South Carolina and may “have trouble finding a lane here.” “I wouldn’t say he’s been forgotten, but he hasn’t been getting a lot of consideration of late,” Felkel said. “He kind of flashed in and flashed out.” But Robert Cahaly, a political consultant who also is unaffiliated, said Christie might find himself in the top three or four in South Carolina if he spends enough time and money. “He is a household name and his style is an immediate contrast to politics and politicians as usual,” he said. “And in any group this big, it’s about standing out, it’s about zigging when everyone zags. And this guy’s more capable of that than anyone I’ve ever seen.” Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Report: Listeria found in Blue Bell ice cream from Alabama
Blue Bell Creameries is reviewing a laboratory report concluding that listeria was found in ice cream made at its Alabama plant. Seattle lawyer Bill Marler said a client of his from Florida had a carton of Blue Bell ice cream from her freezer tested by a private lab after her 75-year-old husband became ill with meningitis. Marler said Miami-based Kappa Laboratories tested the ice cream, which had been manufactured in Alabama. He shared a copy of the report with The Associated Press. The company says it is reviewing the report. Blue Bell issued a national recall after the company’s ice cream was linked to 10 listeria illnesses in four states, and three deaths in Kansas. Listeria is one of several types of bacteria that can cause meningitis, particularly in older adults. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Roundup of Sunday editorials from Alabama’s leading newspapers
A round-up of Sunday editorials from Alabama’s leading newspapers: The Anniston Star – Our ‘frustration’ over the Alabama Legislature In recent years, Alabama’s modern-day lawmakers have shown no willingness to right the state’s sinking financial ship. No one in their right mind should have thought these lawmakers would be any different this go-around. They weren’t, obviously. Oh, they passed a $1.64 billion General Fund budget Thursday, but it mimicked Monopoly money. Its value was nil. It didn’t solve the state’s budget crisis. It didn’t repair the $200 million hole in the General Fund. It didn’t remove the specter of closed state agencies, laid off state employees and shuttered state parks. It also didn’t escape the governor’s wrath. “It annoys me that the Legislature did not do their job within the allotted period of time,” Gov. Robert Bentley said, “but you can’t get frustrated.” Really? That’s exactly what Alabamians should be — frustrated, or worse, that lawmakers continue to subscribe to the discredited theory that the only way to write a sensible state budget is to cut fat like the grocery-store butcher. They don’t give a hoot about the ramifications: on public safety, on prisons, on state parks, on state employees, on the state’s reputation. All they care about — particularly the Republican members of their ranks — is adhering to a low-tax, small-government mantra that sounds good on Election Day but isn’t practical in reality. Bentley vetoed the budget because it doesn’t move the ball forward. It checked off a box — budget passed, mission accomplished — and that’s it. Bentley, eschewing his party’s no-new-tax beliefs, rightly prefers the state face reality that new revenue, through tax increases, is the wisest choice. Feelings of frustration should overtake us all. Alabama got in this situation because Montgomery’s men (and women) have played their roles well. They’ve fought tax increases. They’ve argued against most forms of revenue creation. They’re preached sermons that say small government equals good government. They’ve played shell games with the state’s finances, moving money from one account to another, borrowing from a rainy day account, relying on federal dollars. Everyone knew that one day, barring a massive influx of new money, that the spigot from which cash flows into the state’s coffers would run dry. Legislators have been in session since March and found no viable solution. That’s not merely frustrating. That’s reprehensible. The Decatur Daily: Legislature failed to do its job Governmental dysfunction is not surprising when an executive branch and legislative branch are controlled by different parties with contrasting ideologies. It’s been a feature of our federal government since Republicans controlled first the House and then the Senate, while a Democrat occupied the White House. The results at the federal level have been maddening, if not surprising. The Republican Congress doesn’t trust the agenda of the Democratic president, and consequently doesn’t trust his advice. Whether the topic is Iran or international trade pacts or the federal budget, suspicion and mistrust lead to inaction. Such stalemates come as a surprise when the same party controls both the legislative and executive branches, as has been the case in Alabama since 2010. When it comes to budgetary matters, Gov. Robert Bentley, a former Republican legislator, is ideologically indistinguishable from the Republicans who control the Statehouse. Bentley is an advocate of smaller government. He resents taxes. He successfully won the governor’s seat twice by touting his fiscal conservatism. He spent his first term acting on these principles, cutting agencies to skeletal levels and swearing the state could function without new revenue. For Bentley, reality finally intruded. He still favored small government and low taxes, but his day-to-day management of state government convinced him the state would fail its citizens if revenue dropped. And he knew, as did his Republican colleagues in the Legislature, that revenue had to drop. Years of one-time windfalls that had propped up the state finally were at an end. Something had to be done before fiscal 2016, which begins in October. So Bentley did what no conservative wants to do. He proposed new taxes. He reminded legislators fiscal responsibility is a cornerstone of conservatism. He explained he already had cut $1 billion from state government, and any further cuts would irreparably harm Alabama. So what did the Legislature do with this information from one of their own? They rejected it. In a rebuff that made two-party Washington look harmonious, one-party Montgomery could not find the level of cooperation needed to run the state. The result is inefficiency in a government that does not have the luxury of being inefficient. After the Legislature passed a budget the legislators themselves agreed was irresponsibly austere, Bentley vetoed it. State agencies and the people they serve have no idea what preparations to make for fiscal 2016. Bentley has promised a special session, which will cost the state $320,000 it doesn’t have. Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee Chairman Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, received enthusiastic applause from his colleagues on the last day of the session. Yet the Legislature rejected his budgetary advice as well. Orr called the session “extremely frustrating.” “Just the inability to come to a consensus,” he said. “It took time for an agreement that there really is a significant problem and that just passing a cut budget is not the best answer to the problem.” Extremely frustrating? Yes. Also expensive, irresponsible and embarrassing. The Gadsden Times: Celebrate open meetings Alabama will soon have a stronger Open Meetings Act, and that’s news worth celebrating. It’s a common misconception that open meeting laws are for the benefit of media companies. The reality is that open meeting laws are for the benefit of the public. Most people aren’t going to attend public meetings even if they have a direct stake in the actions above and beyond being concerned about how their tax money is being spent. They rely on media outlets to report on the actions. Without open meeting laws, it’s more difficult for media companies to get that information
Family behind new Alabama “Right to Try” law looks beyond the bill
Gabe Griffin lobbied his first bill at the age of 9. It became law when he turned 10. He’ll be in a wheelchair when he turns 12. Without the right drugs, his parents say he’ll be dead in a decade. Gabe doesn’t know he’s dying, though. In fact, he doesn’t even know what a law does. He knows it could help him, but when you ask him how, he pulls his black baseball cap all the way over his red hair, over his freckled face and asks his mom and dad when they’ll stop peppering him with questions so he can go eat cheese dip. Gabe has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a rare muscular degenerative disease that gradually and then rapidly leads to incapacitation before ultimately to an early death. Right now, he can whack a baseball with a bat like any boy, but tires before first base. He dreams of being an “armian” — his way of pronouncing Army man — but has to be carried upstairs. The 10-year-old became a familiar face in the Alabama Legislature during the 2015 Legislative Session, as his family visited time after time from their Birmingham-area home to ask lawmakers to pass a bill that might someday get him drugs that don’t yet exist. The Gabe Griffin Right to Try Act, which Gov. Robert Bentley signed into law Wednesday, seeks to allow access to drugs that have completed a first clinical trial but that haven’t been approved for general use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Gabe’s mother and father, Traci and Scott Griffin, have been searching for treatment since he was diagnosed seven years ago. The Griffins, and others facing a number of terminal diseases, think the FDA approval process is too tedious, too selective and too time-consuming to provide any hope. “It’s one of those things that you can see and you can smell but you can’t touch,” Scott Griffin said. Two drugs in clinical trial for Duchenne patients — one by Sarepta Therapeutics Inc. and the other by BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. — have promise. Neither is yet suitable for Gabe’s case, but when they are, the Griffins want to take the risk. Alabama is one of several states that passed a “Right to Try” law during their 2015 session, a legislative trend that advocates say provides patients with new options and that others say creates new risks. “We talk about side effects often in safety, and I get it, I get it,” Scott Griffin said. “But my son is going to have tubes coming in and out all parts of his body, with a steel rod shoved in his back, his Achilles heel chords cut, not being able to roll over, not being able to lift his head up. I don’t think it gets much worse than that.” According to the Goldwater Institute, one of the groups behind other states’ Right to Try laws, 19 states have such laws; in another three states, legislation is awaiting the governor’s signature. The FDA, tasked with the duty of ensuring drugs are safe and effective, has not taken a position on any state’s “Right to Try” legislation. “It is critical for the public to understand that FDA is not a barrier to accessing investigational drugs or medical devices,” FDA spokesman Jeff Ventura said. “The FDA is an important part of the process and helps to ensure patients are adequately protected from receiving a potentially harmful or ineffective treatment.” The agency is trying to work with terminally ill patients who fear they’re out of options. Through its Expanded Access — or “compassionate use” — program, the FDA from 2010 to 2014 allowed 99 percent of the applications it received to proceed. This year, the agency announced plans to simplify and accelerate the application process for patients who want to try unapproved drugs. The pace of drug discovery for orphan diseases — those affecting a relatively small population — has accelerated. According to Pharmaceuticals and Research Manufacturers of America, the FDA has approved about 500 drugs for orphan diseases since the passage of the Orphan Drug Act of 1983, which aimed to hasten the approval of drugs for orphan diseases. During the past decade it approved 200. Last year, 17 of the 41 drugs approved by the FDA were for orphan diseases. PhRMA has not taken an official stance on Right to Try legislation or on related bills at the federal level, but Sascha Haverfield, PhRMA’s vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs, said in a prepared statement that the organization has “serious concerns” with alternative approaches to making investigational medicines available. But the Griffins don’t know how long they’ll have Gabe. Some Duchenne patients live into their twenties. Others die of heart failure as teenagers. Meanwhile, the Griffins have started a nonprofit, Hope For Gabe, to raise awareness in the state and across the country. Last summer, Birmingham attorney Michael Staley and Indiana University student Wes Bates rode their bicycles across the U.S. to advocate for Duchenne. Staley, the former chief of staff of former Alabama U.S. Rep. Spencer Bachus, a Republican, has been helping the Griffins push for changes at the state and federal level since he first met Gabe during the Griffins’ visit to Washington, D.C. “As a dad, and as mom, you’re ready to jump in front of a train, a moving train, to save your child,” Scott Griffin said. “Duchenne is that moving train, and we are going to do everything humanly possible to try to make Gabe, and this generation of Duchenne boys, the first generation to survive this disease. I don’t know how it’s going to turn out, but man, we’re close. We’re close.” Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
State leaders push balancing budget to summer Special Session
Legislators are heading to Special Session this summer after hitting an impasse on the state’s general fund budget. The session ended with a vetoed spending plan and plenty of finger-pointing over who was to blame. Yet getting a budget this summer will depend on something in short supply this spring: agreement. Gov. Robert Bentley says he plans to again ask lawmakers to approve taxes and budget changes when they are called into a Special Session. Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh said he wants the governor to write the Special Session call so lawmakers can address a wide variety of ideas, including gambling legislation. State agencies are without a budget for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
