Treating Barriers to Prosperity Act of 2018

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5294, the Treating Barriers to Prosperity Act of 2018, introduced by subcommittee Chairman Barletta and subcommittee Ranking Member Titus.

The Appalachian Regional Commission, or ARC, as it is known, has made significant progress in addressing the persistent poverty and economic despair in Appalachia. However, the current opioid epidemic sweeping the Nation threatens ARC's progress.

The high rates of substance abuse and mortality in Appalachia compared to the rest of the United States is a serious impediment to sustained economic growth.

Employers are seeking a healthy workforce when making decisions about where they will locate their businesses. High rates of substance abuse and mortality make it difficult for employers to find and hire qualified candidates.

Appalachia continues to face significant disparities in its journey to catch up to the rest of the Nation with respect to educational attainment, employment, income, and health outcomes. Sadly, the scourge of opioid abuse in Appalachia makes the road only that much longer.

The opioid mortality and overdose rates in Appalachia are shocking, with rates in West Virginia reaching three times the national rate. Moreover, drug abuse jeopardizes the region's ability to retain and attract economic development with a high-performing workforce that is healthy and drug-free. The cycle of despair only continues.

Unfortunately, this tragic backdrop highlights the failed campaign promises of President Trump. President Trump campaigned about the scourge of opioids and how he would designate the opioid crisis as a national emergency and combat the problem.

However, the President did not declare this epidemic an emergency under the Stafford Act and provided little to no new funding to combat this epidemic. Instead, the administration named White House adviser Kellyanne Conway, a former pollster with no public health background, as the administration's point person on the opioid crisis.

The opioid epidemic is a full-blown crisis that demands Congress' attention. Because President Trump refuses to take substantive action, Congress must take the lead on this issue.

The ARC, in its mission to promote economic development in the region, has always understood the grave threat of opioid addiction to the economic viability of the region.

I am grateful and thankful that this bill provides funding specifically focused on impediments to job creation and economic development; ensures the States in Appalachia can effectively share best practices; and ties in clearer authority to attract health-based businesses, workers, and technology to the region.

While the ARC's existing authority has provided ARC the ability to support certain efforts to combat the opioid crisis, clarifying and strengthening that role is critical to economic development in the region.

We are grateful that the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure has been able to step in in this area of economic development and job creation, but we must do more throughout the country, not just with opioids but with other drug issues and the related scourge in this country.

I applaud Ranking Member Titus for taking the issue seriously and being an original cosponsor of this bill. This bill will address some of the impacts of drug abuse on economic development in the Appalachian region. I support this bill, and urge my colleagues to support this measure.

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