Reps. Delgado and Tonko Discuss Work to Address Opioid Crisis, PFAS Contamination at Rensselaer County Regional Chamber of Commerce

Press Release

This afternoon, Representatives Antonio Delgado (NY-19) and Paul Tonko (NY-20) participated in a moderated conversation at the Rensselaer County Regional Chamber of Commerce and discussed their work in Congress to address the rising costs of health care and prescription drugs, and legislation they have introduced to combat the opioid crisis, as well as work to address water contamination from PFAS chemicals in Rensselaer County.

"Great to join business leaders and community members from across Rensselaer County this afternoon to discuss my commitment to addressing priorities important to working families in the community." Rep. Delgado continued, "In my first months in office, I have made transparency and accessibility a top priority and I'm proud to join my friend Rep. Tonko to discuss our work on the priorities important to the American people including addiction and the opioid crisis, and raise awareness about water contamination from PFAS chemicals."

"My thanks to our friends at the Rensselaer Chamber of Commerce for continuing their growing tradition of dialogue on federal issues impacting Rensselaer County businesses and families. I was delighted to have Rep. Delgado as a partner in this year's convening. He has proven himself to be a true champion for our region and a great partner in our efforts to strengthen our healthcare system, address PFAS contamination in our water and take great strides in confronting the opioid crisis that has taken far too many of our neighbors and loved ones. I am grateful for the insights shared by all of the participants today and look forward to carrying these conversations forward as we continue this work," said Rep. Paul Tonko.

During the last work period, Reps. Delgado and Tonko introduced the bipartisan H.R. 2482: the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment (MAT) Act to greatly expand access to life-saving medication to treat addiction. The bill would end an outdated redundancy in federal law that restricts health providers from prescribing buprenorphine, a proven treatment that has helped countless Americans suffering with a substance use disorder. Providers can already prescribe the drug for pain management but are forced to go through a burdensome process to apply for a special DEA waiver to prescribe it to treat addiction. Additionally, last Friday, Rep. Delgado addressed the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce in Greenport on economic development across Upstate New York.

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