"Last year drug overdoses claimed the lives of 64,000 people in this country."
"We need a comprehensive plan to address all of these issues if we're going to get the opioid epidemic under control."
"Every state and every community in the country has been hit with the opioid epidemic. None of us can say we've escaped it."
"We've left too many veterans broken and in pain."
"Overprescribing opioid medications for chronic pain opens the door to addiction, overdose, suicide risk, and that devastates families and communities."
"We've left too many veterans broken and in pain. When we needed these brave men and women to return to battle, it was very easy just to prescribe opioids for pain management."
"It's hitting sons and daughters and mothers, fathers, friends, coworkers. It is impacting our veterans, our servicemembers."
"I was disappointed when I saw that the President's budget proposed to eliminate rural housing service grant programs."
"This is not a Republican or Democratic issue. We are all concerned."
"But you are going to need more money in these programs to do that. Is that correct?"
"I am wearing my hat as the Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Committee now."