Letter to the Honorable Mitch McConnell, Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate, the Honorable Harry Reid, Democratic Leader of the U.S. Senate, the Honorable Paul Ryan, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, and the Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives - Call to Increase Government Funding to Help Address the Heroin and Opioid Crisis

Letter

Dear Senator McConnell, Senator Reid, Speaker Ryan and Representative Pelosi:

I write to urge you to include a substantial increase in funding to help address the heroin and opioid crisis in the forthcoming government funding bill and to pass a supplemental emergency funding bill to help fight this epidemic before the end of the year.

The heroin and opioid crisis is the most pressing public health and safety challenge facing our communities in New Hampshire and among the most important facing our country. Here in New Hampshire, we are working across party lines to implement a comprehensive strategy to strengthen prevention, treatment and recovery and support law enforcement, and we know that we must continue working together every day to support those battling addiction on the front lines in order to stem and reverse the tide of this horrible epidemic and help save lives.

I appreciate Congress' recent bipartisan acknowledgment of the heroin and opioid crisis and the efforts to begin addressing this epidemic, including the passage this summer of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act and the inclusion of $7 million in relevant funding in the current continuing resolution that extends through December 9. To build on these initial steps, Congress should now come together to provide the annual and emergency funding that we need for prevention, treatment, recovery and law enforcement efforts nationwide.

That begins by including additional funding in the next government funding bill to support the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, which will allow states to implement comprehensive strategies and help those on the front lines get the tools they need to combat the crisis. Increased funding can support critical investments in interventions such as medication-assisted treatment, naloxone (Narcan), recovery support services and housing, drug courts, drug interdiction programs, prescription drug monitoring programs and youth education initiatives.

Beyond this next government funding bill, Congress must work in a bipartisan manner to provide emergency funding to address this public health crisis. Congress has recently passed emergency aid to help address natural disasters and public health threats, such as emergency Ebola funding in 2014 and emergency Zika funding in September. As the Surgeon General reiterated earlier this month, substance misuse is a public health crisis that must be treated as such in order to address the epidemic effectively -- and the appropriate response to this epidemic includes allocating emergency funding, as Congress has done with earlier pressing public health threats.

I urge Congress to come together quickly to pass this emergency funding before the end of the year. The National Governors Association has been calling for emergency funding to supplement state efforts for months. Senator Jeanne Shaheen has been a strong advocate within the Congress, introducing and championing legislation to provide $600 million in emergency funding divided between prevention, treatment and recovery efforts and law enforcement initiatives. We cannot make real progress in combating the heroin and opioid crisis without giving real resources to those on the front lines, and Congress must act quickly to get this done.

If Congress fails to pass this critical emergency funding by the end of the year, I plan to continue working to make this legislation an early priority in the next Congress. Both President Barack Obama and President-elect Donald Trump have made addressing the heroin and opioid epidemic a priority, and I am confident that the next Congress will have the support of the President in passing this emergency funding to ensure that those struggling with addiction have access to the help they need.

People in recovery and families who have lost loved ones have shared their stories, inspiring those around them with their courage and making a profound difference in the lives of countless others battling addiction. Their bravery must be marked by continued urgent action from public officials. The heroin and opioid epidemic is truly an all-hands-on-deck moment, and we must continue working to bring people together at all levels of government and beyond to find solutions and respond effectively to stem -- and ultimately reverse -- the tide of this epidemic.

Once again, I urge you to act quickly in securing additional funding to address this crisis in the forthcoming government funding bill and to appropriate supplemental emergency funding before the end of the year.

Thank you for your consideration.

With every good wish,

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