Senator Hassan Statement on White House Opioid Summit

WASHINGTON – Senator Maggie Hassan released the following statement on today’s White House Opioid Summit:

“While I appreciate that the Trump Administration is continuing to raise awareness about the devastating fentanyl, heroin, and opioid crisis with today’s White House Opioid Summit, what we really need is meaningful action, not just more words. I was hopeful when the President declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency and when his own opioid commission put forward a wide range of recommendations – many of which I have long supported. However, since then, we have seen almost no action from the Administration to make those recommendations more than just words on a page. While the Administration has failed to act, I have continued to fight to get those on the front lines the support they need, including working to secure an additional $6 billion in funding to combat the opioid crisis as part of the bipartisan budget agreement. I will continue to fight for the robust federal investment that is needed to help stem – and ultimately reverse – the tide of this deadly epidemic, and to hold the Administration accountable for providing more than just lip-service when it comes to combating this crisis.”

Earlier this week, Senator Hassan and a bipartisan group of her colleagues introduced the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) 2.0 Act to make important policy changes to help step up efforts to combat the opioid crisis and identify key areas to prioritize as federal funding goes out to communities in need. This effort follows Senator Hassan’s work to secure $6 billion in additional opioid funding as part of the bipartisan budget agreement.

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