Political Quotes

“I think, as you can see, Members on both sides of the aisle know of people in our districts, our States, and across our country that have been tragically affected by opioid abuse and overdose. I want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for their work on this legislation, especially my friend from Indiana, Mrs. Brooks. I rise in strong support of H.R. 4641. This is a very important bipartisan step forward to combat opioid abuse. This issue hits close to home, all of our homes. The State of Oregon ranked near the top or at the top for nonmedical use of prescription pain relievers in the Nation. With opioid prescriptions serving as a gateway to heroin, it is no surprise that deaths from drug overdoses have surpassed those of car accidents in my State. Last week, in Medford, Bend, and Hermiston, I hosted roundtables with community leaders and affected families to talk about what they are seeing on the front lines. Physicians, first responders, members of law enforcement, and families all were there sharing their stories, talking about how important the work we are doing here today is to them and our communities. All of them are on the ground combating this problem every day. We had excellent discussions. H.R. 4641, in addition to the 17 other bipartisan bills we are voting on this week, will help combat this epidemic. This bill will help prevent lawful prescription use from spiraling into abuse by developing best practices for the treatment of pain.…”