U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Tammy Baldwin, Ed Markey and Joe Donnelly Call for Investments to Fight Opioid Epidemic in 21st Century Cures Act
(Washington DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Joe Donnelly (D-IN) are calling for investments to fight the opioid epidemic to be included in the 21st Century Cures Act, which is under consideration for passage during the Lame Duck session.
“This epidemic knows no political party. Substance use, misuse, and use disorders are national problems that continue to cripple our communities. Our law enforcement, health care system, families, and states simply cannot tackle the problem alone and without necessary resources,” the Senators wrote to Senate leaders. “As the end of the year fast approaches, it is past time for Republicans and Democrats to come together to provide emergency funding and increase investments in prevention and treatment services for opioid use, misuse, and use disorders. Until we do, our job is not done and our communities will continue to hurt. We urge you to act immediately to ensure that Congress fulfills its commitment to the American people by providing adequate resources to help quell this epidemic in the 21st Century Cures Act. We stand ready and look forward to working with you to swiftly achieve this goal.”
In the letter to Majority Leader McConnell and Minority Leader Reid, the Senators stressed the need to provide immediate funding to address the opioid epidemic before the end of the year. The Senators also highlighted recent efforts in the Senate to provide needed investments to increase access to prevention, treatment, and recovery services and the need to build on these proposals.
An online version of the letter is available here.
