Political Quotes

“I thank the Presiding Officer. I am pleased to join my colleague from New Hampshire on the floor and the others who have spoken this morning so eloquently about the heroin and opioid epidemic that is ravaging families and communities in every one of our States. As Senator Ayotte said so well, we have seen in New Hampshire that we are at ground zero for this epidemic. In terms of the percentage of people affected in New Hampshire, we are losing a higher percentage than almost every State in the Nation. This is an issue we need to work together to address. I think we have to respond much more robustly than we have done at the Federal level because this epidemic is becoming a pandemic. It is affecting young and old, urban and rural, rich and poor, Whites and minorities. As others have said, the Senate is now considering the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act or CARA. I want to congratulate the sponsors of the legislation because this is a good bipartisan bill. It is important as we look at what we need to do to address the epidemic we face. In addition to the authorizations and the good work that is in the CARA legislation, we also need to provide the resources that law enforcement and health professionals who are on the frontlines of dealing with this crisis are going to need. Despite heroic efforts, law enforcement and treatment professionals are increasingly overwhelmed by the sheer scope and scale of the opioid and heroin crisis.…”