Political Quotes

“Madam President, we all want safety, security, health and well-being for all of our fellow Americans. But it sometimes seems impossible for us to agree on how best to achieve them. So when Congress comes together to find solutions to an urgent crisis facing the country, we should pause briefly, mark that achievement, and consider how we got there. That is what I hope will happen this week when the Senate votes on the conference report for S. 524, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, or CARA. CARA addresses the opioid crisis in a comprehensive way, by authorizing almost $900 million over 5 years for prevention, education, treatment, recovery, and law enforcement efforts. Last week, the House of Representatives passed the report by an astounding margin of 407 to 5. We have all heard the statistics about the epidemic of addiction to heroin and prescription opioids that is gripping our country. I won't belabor them today. When 129 Americans a day die from drug overdoses, we don't need statistics on a page to tell us about this catastrophe. We only need to listen to our constituents. I hear from Iowans all the time about real-life examples of how this epidemic is hitting home. A few years ago, I heard the story of Kim Brown, a nurse from Davenport. In 2011, she lost her son Andy Lamp to an accidental heroin overdose. He was only 33. She now speaks out around my State about the need for expanded treatment options for those with substance abuse disorders.…”