Political Quotes

“Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the amendment, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. First of all, I thank the gentlewoman for sharing her story. These are stories from across America. I empathize with her story, and I am thankful that her mother is in recovery. Mr. Chair, this amendment would prevent the underlying bill from taking effect until the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Attorney General each certify that this bill will lead to a reduction in overdose deaths. In 2021, nearly 108,000 people died of drug overdoses, 71,000 of which were from synthetic opioids, including fentanyl or fentanyl- related substances. That equates to nearly 200 fentanyl-related deaths per day. This amendment is a poison pill that would allow the Biden administration to indefinitely delay the permanent scheduling of fentanyl-related substances, which means after the temporary scheduling order expires at the end of 2024, if HHS or the AG has chosen not to act, these fentanyl-related substances could become street legal. Mr. Chair, I don't want to take that chance. Permanently placing fentanyl-related substances into schedule I is the Drug Enforcement Administration's top legislative priority. The numbers are heartbreaking. We need to act now to pass the HALT Fentanyl Act to keep fentanyl-related substances off our streets and out of our communities.…”