Washington, D.C. - Texas Congressman Kevin Brady (R-The Woodlands) sees next week’s congressional hearings featuring baseball greats Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte as Congress wasting its time.

“Doesn’t Congress have anything more important to do than this?” asks Brady. “Congress’ time would be better spent addressing the tremendous challenges our nation faces; the ongoing War on Terror, the rising cost of healthcare, fiscal implosion with Medicare and Social Security and a shaky economy – What a huge waste of time.”

Brady believes Congress is more interested in media coverage than in protecting America’s national pastime. “Professional athletes like Roger Clemens owe a truthful and complete explanation to major league baseball and to their fans. They owe nothing to Congress.”

“This is more about television screens for politicians than drug screening for baseball. No wonder the approval ratings for this Congress are at a historic low.”

Brady also believes that if Congress truly wants to tackle drug abuse among young Americans then it would get serious about addressing the explosion of local “pill mills” and internet pharmacies that are making illegal prescription drugs available to the young and old alike in America. Seven of these self-titled “pain management clinics” have been shut down in Orange County, Texas in the past year. An estimated 400 clinics are still operating in the Houston area, according to law enforcement officials. It is becoming a national epidemic, say many experts.   

“These pill mills are flooding our neighborhoods with prescription drugs and filling morgues with our loved ones,” said Brady. “Prescription drug overdoses are greater than heroin and cocaine combined. Wouldn’t we be doing a great deal more to protect our young people if Congress were holding hearings on these issues instead?”

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Congressman Brady is a longtime fan of baseball. He played on two state championship baseball teams in high school and played college baseball at the University of South Dakota. He continues to play the game as lead-off hitter and second baseman for the Republican team in the annual Roll Call Congressional Baseball Game – a tradition that started in 1909.