Former Homeland Security Official to Challenge Congressman Altmire

September 29, 2009
Rothfus is the first Republican in the district to launch a campaign. In 2007, Rothfus returned home to Allegheny County after serving for 15 months as the first director of the Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives at the Department of Homeland Security.

Rothfus, a resident of Edgeworth Borough, practices commercial law. In announcing his candidacy, Rothfus stated, “I know from my clients the issues that businesses are facing as they work to remain viable and to add jobs in this economy. The Democratic Party has had a lock on Congress for close to three years now. The Democratic Congress has done nothing to enact pro-growth policies, and we see the national unemployment rate at 9.7%. We need policies that focus on lowering the tax burden on employers, not policies that add new costs, such as the health care and cap and trade bills pending in Congress.”

In addition to concerns about the economy and job growth, Rothfus is alarmed by the spiraling deficit, and believes Congressman Altmire should be held accountable for his votes that have effectively taken money from our children and grandchildren. “The $800 billion stimulus vote has done nothing to help the economy, but it has done plenty to threaten the value of the dollar and the standard of living for future generations,” says Rothfus.

Rothfus is also concerned by Altmire’s near-silence on the substance of the pending health care reform legislation. “For someone who is supposed to be a health care expert based on his years of lobbying, you would think he’d be able to tell us whether the myriad of items in HR 3200, such as the new Health Benefits Advisory Committee bureaucracy, are a good idea,” Rothfus says. “Unfortunately,” Rothfus continued, “Altmire has been quiet on large pieces of this bill.”

Instead of more government control and regulation of the health care industry, Rothfus favors consumer-oriented reforms, including removing red tape to permit insurers to sell across state lines, expanded use of Health Savings Accounts coupled with catastrophic coverage plans, tax equity for individuals who buy their own insurance, and a safety net of tax credits that would permit uninsured persons with lower incomes to purchase private insurance in the market.

Between 2006 and 2007, Rothfus served with the Faith-Based and Community Initiative, holding the position of Director of the Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives at the Department of Homeland Security. During his time at DHS, Rothfus participated in updating the nation’s emergency planning framework and secured language promoting better engagement between state and local emergency management and the nonprofit sector. He also launched a nationwide series of workshops to foster better coordination between local emergency managers and nonprofits.

Former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff described Rothfus as a dedicated public servant, saying “Keith bore primary responsibility for implementing a Presidential Executive Order within one of the largest Federal agencies. He proved to be an excellent advocate in explaining the benefit of working with faith-based and community organizations in responding to natural disasters.”

Beaver County GOP Chairman Marty Matthews is impressed with the way Rothfus has reached out to his committee, noting, “Keith understands the importance of Beaver County to this district and the needs and concerns we have here. Keith is very impressive with his knowledge and understanding of the political issues and process. Keith will be very successful as our Congressional representative.”

The Fourth District includes Lawrence County, most of Beaver County, and parts of Mercer, Allegheny, Butler and Westmoreland Counties. Rothfus will be reaching out to every corner of the district.

Rothfus is a graduate of the Notre Dame Law School. He and his wife, Elsie, have six children, ages 2 through 19. He is a member of the Edgeworth Borough Zoning Board and serves on the Advisory Board of the Veterans Leadership Program of Western Pennsylvania.

Paid for and authorized by Citizens for Rothfus