Political Quotes

“I thank Congresswoman Clark for yielding, and I extend my gratitude to her for joining me tonight in this Special Order. I am also grateful for the opportunity to join bipartisan members-- Republican and Democrat--from around the country to talk about heroin abuse, an increasingly deadly public health crisis. Last year I joined with my colleague from New Hampshire, Congresswoman Kuster, to create The Bipartisan Task Force to Combat the Heroin Epidemic. We strive to fight the tragedy of opioid addiction and fatal overdose from around the Nation. Since its creation last October, our task force has grown to 80 members. Our growth and impact is a testament to the depth of the crisis and the focus of the Members of this body. In my home State of New Hampshire, abuse and overdose claimed the lives of 430 people in 2015. To put that number in perspective, that is 1 out of every 3,000 residents died of an overdose last year. The CDC reports that, nationally, overdose deaths have tripled over the last 10 years. I am proud of the work we have done so far to combat this epidemic. But as many struggling families and ailing communities know, there is much more work to be done. A few weeks ago the Bipartisan Task Force to Combat the Heroin Epidemic proposed a legislative agenda. Our bills would assist law enforcement, treatment providers, and recovery personnel in their battle against the epidemic.…”