It seems Tea Party Congressmen Chip Cravaack and Paul Ryan have more in common than the Ryan budget and working out in the same gym: both have refused to co sponsor key pieces of legislation designed to address the epidemics of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and Breast Cancer.
Autism and Breast Cancer have been declared public health crises affecting millions of American families every year. Rates for both are quite high: an estimated 1 in 88 children will be diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, and 1 in 8 American women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime.
Two major pieces of legislation designed to address the epidemics of breast cancer and autism were proposed during the 112th Congress. Both garnered bi partisan support:
235 Representatives co-sponsored H.R. 3067, the Accelerating the End of Breast Cancer Act of 2011.
100 Representatives co- sponsored H.R. 2005, the Combating Autism Reauthorization Act of 2011.
But not Chip Cravaack and Paul Ryan.
It's particularly troublesome that Chip Cravaack did not co sponsor H.R. 2005. As the parent of a child with an ASD, he should have been front and center promoting that important initiative as well as other legislation benefiting those battling the disorder. Yet Cravaack remained silent about autism until it benefited him to do so. He didn't even bother to join the Congressional Autism Caucus. Indeed, Chip Cravaack was willing enough to talk about his child's autism to help him get re elected, but he wasn't willing to help children with autism in Congress.
Cravaack's disgraceful record on autism and breast cancer has not gone unnoticed by constituents. Regular Folks On The Iron Range on Friday launched two new cable TV ads pointing to his abysmal record on these important issues:
Cross posted from Iron Country Free Press