Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, all of us are painfully aware of the devastating toll taken by opioid addiction and abuse in every corner of this great country. While this epidemic is truly national in its scope today, it actually began in the small communities in Appalachia over a decade ago. Our hills were flooded with painkillers, our hospitals flooded with patients, our churches flooded with helpless parents crying out for help. Our rural towns simply did not have the capacity to handle this monstrous problem. Today, given the unique challenges confronting Appalachia, the opioid-related overdose rate is 65 percent higher than in the rest of the Nation. Let me repeat that. In Appalachia, the opioid-related overdose rate is 65 percent higher than the rest of the country. But the people of Appalachia are resilient, and they are problem solvers. They have taken important strides to combat this problem holistically. Operation UNITE in my district, where it began, is a leading national example. UNITE, Unlawful Narcotics Investigations, Treatment and Education, is a three-pronged, holistic approach to tackle this monster. I was really heartened and grateful when Chairman Barletta invited Operation UNITE's CEO, Nancy Hale, to testify before his subcommittee about the unique challenges UNITE confronts in southern and eastern Kentucky, and the creative solutions they have employed to beat back against this scourge. Today, I remain grateful for his leadership in shepherding H.R.…”