Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. LaLota), the author of the legislation. Mr. LaLOTA. Mr. Speaker, the United States of America, the greatest nation the world has ever known, is facing an unprecedented crisis as deadly drugs like fentanyl and xylazine devastate our communities. It is imperative that our leaders here in Congress work together to confront this epidemic and save lives. Last year, there were over 107,000 drug overdose deaths. Of those deaths, over 81,000 involved opioids. Based on prior years' statistics, we estimate that fentanyl was responsible for nearly 90 percent of all synthetic opioid-related deaths. That is almost 73,000 fentanyl deaths in just 1 year. These staggering statistics are not just numbers. They represent real lives lost, real families shattered, and real communities that are forever changed for the worse. It is the biggest cause of death of Americans ages 18-45, and it does not discriminate based on race or economic class. It kills in each of our districts--170 fentanyl deaths per congressional district per year on average. Even more troubling is xylazine. Known on the streets as tranq, it is now being mixed with fentanyl, making the drug even more deadly and more difficult to detect.…”