Political Quotes

“Mr. President, the misuse of opioids is a national crisis. Every single day, more than 130 people in this country overdose on these drugs, with tragic results. In 2017, there were more than 70,000 drug overdose-related deaths in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control. These deaths eclipsed the number that were due to guns or automobile crashes. May 12 through 18 is National Prevention Week, which is dedicated to increasing public awareness of substance abuse disorders. Addiction exists everywhere. We have taken steps in the past to fight this epidemic. We passed comprehensive substance abuse and treatment legislation in 2016 and again last year. However, the opioid epidemic continues to destroy lives and communities. We need to remain committed to defeat this crisis. This week also marks the seventh anniversary of my investigation, with former Senator Baucus, into opioid manufacturers' connections to medical groups and physicians who advocated for the increased use of opioids. As senior members of the Senate Finance Committee in 2012, we sought documents and financial information from three opioid makers, in a period when deaths from opioid overdoses were skyrocketing. News reports of that time suggested that opioid makers may have initiated conflicts of interest to encourage the prescribing of opioids. More recent news reports confirm that we had very good reason to launch this oversight work.…”