Senator Hassan: President Trump Must Quickly Nominate a Qualified New Drug Czar

WASHINGTON – Senator Maggie Hassan released the following statement on Representative Tom Marino’s decision to withdraw his name from consideration to lead the Office of National Drug Control Policy, a position also known as the “drug czar.”  

“Our nation is in the midst of an opioid crisis that demands strong leadership, including from the Office of National Drug Control Policy,” Senator Hassan said. “Representative Tom Marino was clearly the wrong choice for this critical role and he made the right decision in withdrawing his name from consideration. President Trump must move quickly to nominate a qualified candidate to serve as drug czar, someone who is not beholden to big pharmaceutical companies and who is committed to working to strengthen treatment, prevention, and recovery efforts.”

Following reports earlier this year that President Trump would seek to defund the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) introduced legislation to preserve and protect ONDCP.

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