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Rep. Don Beyer Profile picture
@RepDonBeyer
Sep 10, 2018 • 10 tweets • 6 min read • Read on X
Today is #WorldSuicidePreventionDay

One of the most important things we can do to fight the growing epidemic of suicide in America is talk about it. We have a really bad problem that is getting worse quickly, but we can't help people if we ignore their problems. 1/
First a few notes on the problem, and what we've learned in recent months.

A new CDC shows that the incidence of suicide in the US has risen sharply, by about 30% over the past two decades. 2/ cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/6…
In addition to veterans, more new groups are also starting to show heightened suicide risk:
- Young women businessinsider.com/us-suicide-rat…
- Black children washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-h…
- Farmers cbsnews.com/news/american-…
Most of us probably know someone who has experienced suicidal thoughts. 3/
Despair is also driving huge increases in the number of people who die by overdose. nytimes.com/2018/08/15/ups…

We must not respond to people who feel hopeless by pretending they don't exist or that they don't have problems. Compassion and communication are essential. 4/
So here are some things we can do to help.
usatoday.com/story/news/201…

Awareness, identifying risk signs, and talking about them are essential. We have all been touched by mental illness among our family and friends; we can help end the stigma. 5/ huffingtonpost.com/entry/how-to-t…
We can help those who need it get help.

I recently visited a crisis center where they take calls from a suicide prevention hotline. These people are trained professionals who help save lives.
6/
We can help with policy. The rise in suicide followed a decline in mental health services. businessinsider.com/anthony-bourda…
I formed the bipartisan suicide prevention caucus in Congress to help address this.
afsp.org/giving-thanks-…
We are making some progress. thehill.com/policy/healthc… 7/
State-level policies are key when it comes to funding for mental health services. Many of those funds flow through Medicaid, and I'm thrilled that Virginia has finally expanded the program, which will do so much when it comes to mental health. 8/ richmond.com/news/virginia/…
CDC data also point to guns as a risk factor.
nytimes.com/2018/06/09/us/…
Half of suicides are committed with a gun.
everytownresearch.org/reports/disrup…
Studies show legislation like our #GVROAct which allow the removal of guns from people in crisis can reduce suicide. 9/
huffingtonpost.com/entry/red-flag…
This week #NationalSuicidePreventionWeek and throughout the month of September #SuicideAwarenessMonth I hope you will look at what we are learning about suicide in America, and think about ways that you can support friends and loved ones at risk. All of us can help. 10/10

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More from @RepDonBeyer

Rep. Don Beyer Profile picture
Sep 28, 2018
Trump Administration has again taken American leadership a step backward since it announced an historically low refugee cap for FY19. It is mandated that they consult Congress before they announced this. They did not.

My colleagues and I are pushing back.
Last week, the Trump Administration made an announcement that the refugee cap for FY19 would be set at 30,000, a dramatic cut from the previous historic low of 45,000 of FY18. nytimes.com/2018/09/17/us/…
This cannot go unnoticed...

Trump's resettlement rate is currently the lowest in program history. He's also claiming that the Admin cannot address the asylum backlog while maintaining a strong refugee admissions level.

This is simply not the case. time.com/5404850/immigr…
Read 4 tweets
Rep. Don Beyer Profile picture
Sep 6, 2018
For weeks Senate Republicans refused to release thousands of documents written by Brett Kavanaugh to the public.

In one secret document, Kavanaugh said he thinks Roe v. Wade could be overturned, despite having said it was "settled law" yesterday.

This is what they're hiding. 1/
They made up new rules to assign a "committee confidential" label, without precedent, to documents that reveal Kavanaugh's beliefs on matters he would rule on during his lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court.

They are deliberately hiding important and revealing writings. 2/
Senate Republicans are rushing this nomination while hiding key facts from the public.

They cite the Presidential Records Act as justification for their unprecedented secrecy, though they have ignored numerous violations of that Act by the President. 3/ time.com/5308542/trump-…
Read 8 tweets
Rep. Don Beyer Profile picture
Aug 29, 2018
The @USGSA Inspector General just put out a report on what may be one of Trump's most blatantly corrupt actions in office.

That investigation, into why the Administration scuttled plans for a new FBI headquarters, also revealed what looks like a cover-up by the White House. 1/
Background: for over a decade officials have warned that the FBI headquarters was structurally deficient.

The effort to move the FBI to a new building has taken years, thousands of staff hours, and millions of taxpayer dollars. It was nearly there. 2/ washingtonpost.com/news/digger/wp…
Then, last year, the Trump Administration suddenly and inexplicably threw all of that work out the window, and cancelled the plans.

At the time, they offered no alternate proposal, but said one would follow. 3/ washingtonpost.com/business/econo…
Read 16 tweets
Rep. Don Beyer Profile picture
Aug 24, 2018
As the walls close in around Trump and his culture of corruption is exposed, more people will try to distract you with lies.

They’ll shout desperately “look over there!” and argue that you should accept criminality because he’s “shaking things up.”

It’s utter nonsense. 1/
The truth is that Trump isn’t “sticking it to the elites,” he’s shoveling money into their pockets.

Big banks, pharmaceutical giants, CEOs, Wall Street firms, and the wealthiest 1% are making out like bandits under Trump. They couldn’t be happier. 2/
This is *intentional*

When Trump touts “tax cuts” and “deregulation,” he’s bragging about weakening protections for public health and economic safety to make rich people richer.

It comes with a price: high deficits. They want to pay for it with Medicaid and Medicare cuts. 3/
Read 8 tweets
Rep. Don Beyer Profile picture
Aug 21, 2018
President Trump and Acting EPA head Andrew Wheeler just teamed up with their friends in the fossil fuel industry to release a Dirty Power Plan that would open the floodgates to more carbon pollution across the country.

It is dangerous for all of us. Here's why: 1/
For a decade the EPA has regulated greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act following its "endangerment finding" that carbon pollution and other emissions represent a threat to Americans.

Trump never withdrew this finding, which still stands, binding the EPA to act. 2/
The Dirty Power Plan just issued by Trump and Wheeler will enormously weaken the US government response to something the US government still says is an active threat to our health and the planet. On purpose. 3/ washingtonpost.com/national/healt…
Read 9 tweets
Rep. Don Beyer Profile picture
Aug 9, 2018
There's been so much corruption, waste, and incompetence in the Trump Administration lately that it's hard to keep track of it all.

Rather than do anything about it, the Republicans who control Congress cover it up or even indulge in corruption themselves.

Consider... <thread>
A Secretary of Commerce accuse of "grifting" millions of dollars from business partners.
A Secretary of Education who is avoiding taxes by registering her families $40 million yacht in the Cayman Islands, all while making it harder for American students to pay for a college education.
Read 13 tweets

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