Political Quotes

“Every 12 minutes someone in the U.S. dies of a drug overdose. Abuse of prescription painkillers and heroin has impacted every single community. It is an epidemic. It doesn't have boundaries and doesn't discriminate. We have lost a lot of good kids and a lot of good people in my State and every State. As I travel back and forth to Michigan virtually every week, I meet a family member who has lost somebody with this very tragic story. This last week it was a mother and a wife of a fellow who had committed suicide in Mattawan, Michigan. It breaks your heart. Yes, we know the numbers. They are staggering. The CDC reports that nearly 260 million opioid prescriptions were written in 2012. That is one for every single U.S. adult, as my friend Mr. Pallone said, with another 20 million to spare. A recent study from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that one in five Americans say they have a family member who has been addicted to prescription painkillers. The epidemic is unique to the U.S., as Americans consume 80 percent of the world's opioid prescriptions. It is not unique. It is a frightening reality, but we have to face the epidemic head-on. That is why today is an important step. In the Energy and Commerce Committee, we have held a number of hearings over the last year with testimony from so many experts on the front lines. What we learned is eye-opening.…”