Opioid Epidemic

President Trump recently gave a speech on the Opioid Crisis in the United States:



Below are some of the reactions to the speech:

Nita Lowey (D-NY, 17th)
Rosa L. DeLauro (D-CT, 3rd)

“As the top Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee and its Subcommittee on Labor, Health, and Education, we are concerned that President Trump’s announcement today is a weak half-measure and insufficient to meet the scale of the opioid emergency. We have a moral duty to address this crisis and save as many lives as possible.”

“While the steps outlined by the President may be helpful in some instances, without robust and dedicated funding, health care providers, treatment facilities, and others working on this multi-faceted crisis will be hamstrung in their efforts to protect American communities from the scourge of opioid addiction. Further, mere shifting of already insufficient resources threatens to hamper critical investments in other forms of health research and treatment.”

“To that end, in his next disaster supplemental request, President Trump should request emergency funding through the Public Health Emergency Fund. This Fund was established to address exactly this sort of crisis yet it has not been funded. Congresswoman DeLauro introduced the Public Health Emergency Fund Act (H.R. 3579) in July, which would provide $5 billion to the Fund.”

“Existing mandatory funding for Opioid State Grants, provided through the CURES Act, expires at the end of fiscal year 2018. This mandatory funding should be expanded and extended. Emergency funding should also supplement existing efforts at NIH, CDC, and SAMHSA, as well as programs authorized through the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA).”

“If we are to defeat this crisis, weak half-measures will not suffice. We must act aggressively and responsibly to help those who are currently addicted and protect others from this deadly affliction.”

Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MI, 3rd)

“Today’s emergency declaration by the President may bring more awareness to the issue, but it does not solve the problem nor fully address the challenges faced by millions of Americans impacted by the opioid crisis. This declaration provides no new funding and no new treatment or prevention strategies.

If the President were truly serious about making a difference in this fight, he would not be pushing a budget that cuts nearly a trillion dollars from Medicaid or slashing the budgets of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the National Institutes for Health (NIH) and other health services that are essential in helping people fight and treat addiction.”

Tom Marino (R-PA, 10th)

“The abuse of opioids has descended well beyond a crisis. It is a sustained epidemic. This is a true emergency and the President’s decision to declare the opioid crisis a national public health emergency is a powerful step in the right direction. Decisive action like this will further enable all the available resources at the federal government’s disposal to be mobilized and optimized to best serve each community’s unique needs. That means allowing more flexibility in allocating prevention efforts, law enforcement, addiction treatments and recovery programs.

“The president’s actions not only strengthen legislation like the Comprehensive Addiction Recovery Act, a measure I supported and which was signed into law last year, but also forces a greater sense of urgency to more aggressively work to reverse this epidemic.

“There is still much more work to be done in terms of implementing solutions, but this declaration paves the way for expanded coordination, at all levels, and ensures that we are able to effectively manage all the complexities and nuances that come with addressing this issue.”

David McKinley (R-WV, 1st)

“West Virginia is at the epicenter of this crisis. We are experiencing the highest rate of opioid deaths in the nation. Yet when West Virginia applied for the grant to help babies with opioid dependency, they were denied. When HHS released an additional $144 million in funding, we received none of it. As ground zero for this public health crisis, it is time West Virginia received the funding it deserves.”

Martha McSally (R-AZ, 2nd)

“Opioid addiction is a nationwide epidemic that’s tearing our communities apart. Prescription painkillers, the very ones sitting in home medicine cabinets and on home bathroom counters, are killing thousands of Americans each year. Although their use often starts out harmless, these powerfully addictive substances are abused by 6.5 millions of Americans each year and cause more deaths than car accidents. We have felt this acutely in my district in Southern Arizona—Pima County had an overdose rate almost twice as high as any other county in Arizona. When the prescriptions run out or can’t be found, these addicts then turn to illegal drugs. Over 80% of heroin users started out on prescription opioids.

I applaud the Administration for calling our nationwide opioid epidemic what it really is: a public health emergency. Today’s announcement is a necessary step—but it cannot be the final one. Congress and the President must work together to combat this emergency from all sides. I have and will continue to find legislative solutions to interrupt this deadly cycle and halt its spread.”

Congresswoman McSally spearheaded legislation included in the 21st Century Cures Act, which, paired with the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act she supported, will provide grants, gives treatment and prevention, and supports law enforcement in communities around the nation to combat this crisis. In May 2017, she voted for an increase of $781 million for fighting the opioid epidemic.

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