Executive Calendar

Floor Speech

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Ms. HASSAN. Mr. President, I start my remarks tonight by thanking my colleague from Wyoming for his remarks concerning the anniversary of the horror that was September 11, 2001. I join him and all of my colleagues here in recognizing that in the midst of that horror, the American people came together, and we demonstrated the strength, kindness, bravery, and resilience that we have throughout our history.

I, too, remember the victims, their loved ones, as well as all of the brave first responders. I thank all of the men and women of our military who continue to fight against terrorism and who keep us safe, and I remember the lives lost on the battlefield. Opioid Epidemic

Mr. President, I also want to take a minute tonight to talk about the importance of there being the continued funding to address our Nation's opioid crisis. As the Senate Appropriations Committee prepares its markup of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies' fiscal year 2020 budget, I rise to discuss the urgent need for additional funding to combat the fentanyl, heroin, and opioid crisis.

The substance misuse crisis continues to ravage communities in my home State of New Hampshire and all across our country. People in New Hampshire are doing vital work to address this crisis and get those who are struggling the support they need to get and stay healthy.

Just last month, I visited Moms in Recovery in Lebanon, which is an addiction services program through Dartmouth-Hitchcock that is providing comprehensive care to get pregnant and parenting women the services they need to address substance misuse. In Lebanon, NH, Moms in Recovery offers everything from medication-assisted treatment to group therapy, counseling, outpatient therapy, parenting classes, and more. Providers said that what started as a program for 5 women is now serving 60. It has transformed from a program that just served pregnant women to one that is now serving women after they give birth. It works to help them stabilize their lives and to reengage in our workforce and in our communities.

People in my State are implementing innovative approaches to help their friends and neighbors, and Congress needs to give them the support they need to help save lives.

I have been proud to work with Senator Shaheen and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to strengthen support for treatment, recovery, prevention, and law enforcement efforts. This includes having worked to secure more than $6 billion in the 2018 budget agreement for governmentwide efforts to combat this crisis and to ensure that as the appropriations process progressed, hardest hit States, including the Granite State, were prioritized.

Last year, we also passed the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, which the President signed into law. It included, among many critical priorities, the following: establishing comprehensive opioid recovery centers, expanding access to medication-assisted treatment, and supporting law enforcement in its efforts to curb the shipment of fentanyl through the Postal Service.

Yet nobody in this body should think that our work is anywhere near complete. As the Appropriations Committee considers funding bills for the next fiscal year, I urge my colleagues on the committee to ensure that State opioid response grants, which have been a vital tool in increasing access to treatment, recovery, and prevention, are fully funded. While these grants should be increased, they must, at the very least, be fully funded at the fiscal year 2019 levels.

It is also imperative to continue prioritizing hardest hit States and to give communities additional flexibility to use this funding to address other substances that are being used in conjunction with or instead of opioids. While the vast majority of overdose deaths in New Hampshire still involve opioids, specifically fentanyl, we are seeing substances like crystal methamphetamine emerge as a growing issue. Additional flexibility in funding can help communities respond to this challenge in realtime.

This crisis didn't begin overnight, and it will not be solved overnight. What we need at the Federal level is a long-term solution and additional certainty so States and communities know they will have stable and consistent Federal funding as they implement strategies and treatment programs that will help save lives.

One important next step would be to pass Senator Shaheen's Turn the Tide Act, which is legislation I have cosponsored that would invest $63 billion in flexible funding over 10 years, support treatment and prevention efforts, and address workforce challenges in the treatment field. This is the kind of long-term, comprehensive approach we should be taking, and I will continue to join with Senator Shaheen to push for this bill.

The fentanyl, heroin, and opioid crisis remains the most pressing public health and public safety challenge facing New Hampshire and many other communities across our country, and the biggest mistake anyone could make is in thinking our efforts to address this crisis are close to being done.

I am going to continue to push to ensure that those on the frontlines of this crisis have the support they need. I urge my colleagues to join me so we can make our families, communities, and country healthier and safer so we can help save lives.

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