Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, we, as a Congress, have worked over the past several years to combat the opioid epidemic and support the millions of Americans with a substance use disorder. That work includes bipartisan passage of legislation like the 21st Century Cures Act, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, and the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act. In 2017 and 2018, we appropriated nearly $11 billion for a total of 57 Federal programs that fund efforts to curb this epidemic. These programs span the continuum of care, including prevention, treatment, and long-term recovery. The funding also spans across agencies, directing investments toward research, public health surveillance, and supply reduction efforts. Most recently, in the fiscal year 2020 funding bill, we included over $4 billion in public health dollars to help with prevention and treatment. In December, the House passed H.R. 3, the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, which included an additional $10 billion in funding to support public health efforts to combat the opioid epidemic. On the Energy and Commerce Committee, we have had the chance to hear directly from States that our work at the Federal level has helped save lives. Last year, in my State of New Hampshire, a total of 284 deaths were attributed to drug overdoses, of which 82 percent, 234 deaths, involved the use of fentanyl.…”