Political Quotes

“Mr. President, last night was a great moment for the Senate. We have been able to pass a broad legislative package that will address the opioid epidemic in many ways. As we all know, the opioid crisis is not nearing its end. We are seeing more and more Americans abuse opioid drugs every year. In 2016, there were 64,000 overdose deaths, and this number rose to a staggering 72,000 deaths in 2017. Right now, more than 115 people in the United States die from opioid overdoses every day. In Iowa last year, more than 200 people died from opioid misuse. If there is one thing we have learned, it is that no segment of society has been left untouched. The crisis has affected people all over this country. Communities throughout the United States are desperate for answers. While overcoming this crisis cannot be accomplished overnight, the passage of the Opioid Crisis Response Act is a huge step in the right direction. This legislation is a collection of more than 70 proposals from four different committees here in the Senate, including Judiciary, where I led six different bills through committee. It is important to highlight how well we worked together on both sides of the aisle--and across the aisle--to get to this point. This was a massive bipartisan effort. On behalf of Judiciary, not a single bill passed through committee without wide bipartisan support. The Judiciary Committee contributed six separate bills--each with different sponsors, to this larger piece of legislation.…”