Mike Gallagher: “I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership on this critical issue. As was laid out, communities across…”

“I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership on this critical issue. As was laid out, communities across this country, communities like mine in northeast Wisconsin, are in the midst of a public health crisis. It is not a Republican or a Democratic issue. It is an American issue, one that should bring us all together. Opioid abuse is wreaking havoc on our homes, our schools, our churches. Its devastating effects are destroying our families and the lives of our loved ones. As was pointed out, more Americans will have died from drug overdoses in 2017 than there are names on the Vietnam War Memorial. That is alarming. That should put it into sharp relief. As a Marine veteran, I am acutely aware that servicemembers are more susceptible than the average person to addiction. In fact, veterans die from accidental drug overdoses at a 33 percent higher rate than the rest of the population, and something must be done to reverse this awful trend. I commend our State lawmakers in Wisconsin who are doing aggressive work on this front, and I commend the gentleman and everyone who has spoken out for doing the same thing at the national level, and I look forward to working with him. Because headline after headline reminds us of the tragic loss of life that has resulted from our Nation's opioid and addictions risk, we have to step up. We have to take action.”