Shaheen and Hassan to Meet at the White House to Provide Input on the President's Policies Regarding the Opioid Crisis

(Washington, DC)— This afternoon, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and a bipartisan group of senators will participate in a meeting with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Chairman of the President’s recently-established commission tasked with recommending policies to address the opioid crisis.

“I appreciate the opportunity to meet with Chairman Christie in the early stages of this new commission,” said Shaheen. “Today, I intend to remind Chairman Christie of the President’s promise to New Hampshire to provide more treatment resources and make it clear that, so far, this administration’s proposed policies will only undermine our state’s efforts to tackle this epidemic. I will also urge this administration to revise the formula used to allocate funding approved in the 21^st Century Cures Act, as the current formula does not adequately prioritize states like New Hampshire that are hit hardest by the opioid crisis. Recent statistics on overdose deaths shows that New Hampshire has yet to turn the corner on this crisis, which is why I’m continuing to urge Congress and this administration to treat this epidemic like the public health emergency that it is.”

“There is an urgent need for continued action to support those on the front lines of the heroin, fentanyl, and opioid crisis,” said Hassan. “People are dying every day, and as this commission begins its work, I intend to make clear my concerns that the policies we have seen from the Trump Administration so far would severely hurt our ability to combat this crisis. We need to draw on the existing research that has already been done at the federal level, including the 2016 Surgeon General’s report, and implement a comprehensive, bipartisan approach to this crisis that protects Medicaid expansion, cracks down on the distribution of fentanyl, and strengthens treatment, prevention, and recovery efforts. I will make clear to Governor Christie that I stand ready to work with him and anyone who is ready to pursue a comprehensive approach focused on both the supply and demand side to combat this crisis.”