Political Quotes

“Mr. Chair, I rise in support of this amendment, and I want to thank Representatives Barton and Meadows and Kuster. They have really worked hard on this and it is a good amendment. There is wide variation in the way acute, short-duration pain is treated with opioids, and there are concerns that patients may be over- or underprescribed opioid analgesics to treat that pain. This amendment would direct the FDA Commissioner to develop high- quality, evidence-based opioid prescribing guidelines for the treatment of acute pain. By arming physicians with this type of information, we can give them more of the tools they need to treat patients' pain without overprescribing addictive medications. The intent behind this policy is that evidence-based guidelines would add to the universe of available data in a way that would empower providers, patients, caregivers and others to make determinations about treatment in a more informed manner. I understand that some stakeholders have raised some concerns about limitations on how these evidence-based guidelines can be used; so as we continue to work on these policies with our counterparts in the Senate, we are committed to working to ensure that the language accomplishes what the sponsors intend without having any unintended consequences. I encourage my colleagues to support adoption of the amendment. Mr. Chair, I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) such time as he may consume.”