I thank my Republican colleagues, especially Chairman Walden and Mr. Shimkus, for working with us to address concerns with the DOTCOM Act.

I would argue that we wouldn't even have that fight had we done a better job of working together last Congress.

I believe Congress has a bipartisan interest in seeing the IANA transition executed consistent with these principles.

This problem has affected every one of our districts, and I am glad this subcommittee is taking a serious look at this issue.

There is consensus in the medical community that medication-assisted treatment--or MAT--is an essential component of effective treatment.

It is critical also that we approach this problem on both sides of this issue--upstream, where overprescribing is occurring, and downstream, where better treatment across this country is desperately needed.

While it is by no means perfect, it does reflect hard work by staff, true collaboration between Republicans and Democrats, stakeholders, and the administration, and I am hopeful we can bring this legislation to a successful conclusion.

I am obviously supportive of having a debate about whether we should modify procedures across all agencies, but I am worried that these kinds of agency-specific procedural changes have several drawbacks.

True bipartisanship is critical to achieving successful and broadly supported policies.

It was Henry Waxman and myself that led the effort in the House to double the money for the NIH back in the '90s.

Secondly, legal experts have repeatedly told us that agency-specific requirements invite lawsuits.

I have said all along that broadly extending drug exclusivity will not solve the problems 21st Century Cures sets out to address.