October 26, 2017

Statement from Senator Warren in Response to Trump Declaration on Opioid Epidemic

Washington, DC - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) released a statement today in response to President Trump's announcement declaring the opioid epidemic a national public health emergency under federal law. Recently, Senator Warren and Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) urged the President to heed the recommendation of his own Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis to "declare a national emergency under either the Public Health Service Act or the Stafford Act." Massachusetts was the first to declare a state-level emergency in 2014, and has since led the country in efforts to combat the opioid crisis.

"After months of inaction, President Trump has taken a step in the right direction by declaring that the opioid crisis sweeping our nation is an emergency - as Senator Murkowski and I urged him to do in a letter earlier this month. But the administration must do more to back up its commitments with action. States and communities need a significant increase in federal funding for existing opioid addiction programs - and today's announcement from the President does not deliver those funds. If the President is serious about working with Congress to secure increased funding, he needs to get to work immediately and appoint a Health and Human Services Secretary who can follow through on these promises. I'll be fighting to ensure that Massachusetts families get the help they need."

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