{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://morgangriffith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398360", "Congressman Griffith's Weekly E-Newsletter 10.27.14", "2014-10-27", "2014", "2014-10", "Republican", "House", "VA", "Morgan Griffith", "G000568", "morgangriffith.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "21st Century Cures &  Drill, Baby, Drill \u2013 It Works 21st Century Cures On Wednesday, October 22, I was joined by Congressman Phil Roe, M.D. (R-TN) and regional medical experts for a roundtable discussion on how to accelerate the pace of new promising cures and treatments for patients.\u00a0 This roundtable was part of the bipartisan 21st Century Cures initiative launched in May by Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI), Congresswoman Diana DeGette (D-CO), and the House Energy and Commerce Committee, on which I serve. \u00a0 Through this initiative, which includes hearings and roundtables in Washington, D.C. and throughout the country as well, my colleagues and I on the Committee are seeking to improve the full innovation process.\u00a0 This can mean discovering clues in basic science, streamlining the drug and device development process, unleashing the power of digital medicine and social media at the treatment phase, and more. As noted by Roanoke Times reporter Laurence Hammack, \u201cThe two-hour discussion \u2026 went beyond the FDA [Food and Drug Administration] approval process to cover a variety of topics: the need for health care providers to better share information about their patients; concerns about gaps in Medicare funding for telemedicine; problems with the patent process; and how to best balance the latest innovations with the more low-tech practice of encouraging patients to eat well, stop smoking and exercise more.\u201d\u00a0 Also discussed was the physician shortage problem, new technologies outpacing public policy, the importance of allowing health care providers to take advantage of methods recognizing the complexity of diseases and enabling them to bring these methods into the clinical process, the fact that the Congressional Budget Office is reluctant to score for preventive measures that show cost savings, and more. It was truly an informative and very fascinating discussion.\u00a0 My sincere thanks to Dr. Roe and the others who took the time to share their thoughts and expertise. What comes next, you ask?\u00a0 These ideas and others from similar hearings and roundtables will be used by me and my colleagues on the Committee to craft new laws to improve our health care system.\u00a0 I encourage you to stay tuned to the 21st Century Cures initiative and other efforts to save more lives, keep the United States the leader in medical innovation, and accelerate the discovery, development, and delivery cycle of new cures and treatments for patients. Drill, Baby, Drill \u2013 It Works In a November 2013 story by the Canadian The Globe and Mail newspaper, Saudi Prince al-Waleed bin Talal discussed his belief that his country\u2019s political elite had been \u201c\u2026recklessly ignoring economic threats posed by shale oil discoveries in the United States.\u201d \u201cNew shale oil discoveries \u2018are threats to any oil-producing country in the world,\u2019 he says.\u201d\u00a0 And, \u201cIn less than two years, Prince al-Waleed says, the United States will be producing so much oil that it will be a competing exporter of crude.\u00a0 Oil prices currently hovering a little below $100 (U.S.) a barrel could sink as low as $80 over the next few years and potentially fall even further if more shale oil discoveries emerge in the United States, Europe and Australia.\u201d He continued, \u201cNinety-two percent of Saudi Arabia\u2019s annual budget comes from oil.\u00a0 Definitely it is a worry and a concern.\u201d \u201cIt is a matter of survival,\u201d he also said. President Obama mockingly describes Republicans\u2019 energy strategy as:\u00a0 \u201cStep one is drill, and step two is drill, and then step three is keep drilling.\u201d\u00a0 But in reality, as regular readers of this column know, we believe in an all-of-the-above energy policy in which we dig, discover, deregulate, and \u2013 yes \u2013 drill in order to provide jobs, secure our energy future, and keep costs low. And guess what?\u00a0 Oil prices continue to sink.\u00a0 The price of Brent crude oil has dropped below $86 a barrel, and Goldman Sachs is estimating it will fall to $80 per barrel.\u00a0 As Prince al-Waleed surely knows, the \u201cdrill, baby, drill!\u201d aspect of our energy policy is working. \u00a0 Lower oil prices may be a problem for Prince al-Waleed, but not for U.S. As always, if you have concerns or comments or wish to inquire about legislative issues, feel free to contact my offices. You can call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671. To reach my office via email, please visit my website at www.morgangriffith.house.gov.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://morgangriffith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398360"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5597571618855, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}