Shaheen Applauds Senate Passage of Budget Agreement that Includes Commitment of Additional Funding for Opioid Response Efforts

**Shaheen’s work across the aisle helped secure an additional $6 billion over two years to battle the opioid epidemic**

**Agreement also eliminates the sequester for two years and provides a path forward on long-term government funding which will benefit the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Pease and military readiness**

(Washington, DC)—Following her vote in favor of a broad bipartisan budget agreement, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) issued the following statement:

“This commitment to provide additional funding for opioid response efforts is a significant down payment,” said Shaheen. “For too long, the federal response to the opioid epidemic has been nickeled and dimed. While the promise of additional funding in this agreement doesn’t match the severity of the opioid crisis, it is an important step forward. This agreement is the product of good faith bipartisan negotiations and should serve as a model for how we can continue to make progress on this and many other important issues. I’m very pleased that this provides a path forward for long-term government funding and relief from sequestration. Budget certainty is essential to our military readiness, including the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and the Pease Air National Guard Base, as this agreement allows for much better long-term planning. It also finally provides additional investments in veterans care, community health centers, infrastructure and college affordability programs.”

This budget agreement includes a commitment of $6 billion to respond to the opioid epidemic over the next two years, with $3 billion being provided each year. Senator Shaheen and Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) also received assurances that the opioid funding formula will be improved to prioritize states like New Hampshire with high mortality rates from overdoses. In recent weeks, Senators Shaheen and Hassan have been participating in bipartisan negotiations as part of the Common Sense Caucus, where they’ve been advocating for additional opioid funding and a change in the federal funding formula.