Support for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act of 2025

Floor Speech

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Ms. HASSAN. Mr. President, I rise today to pass into law a lifesaving bipartisan legislation that will enable us to keep fighting the opioid and fentanyl epidemic, an epidemic that has destroyed families and devastated communities all across our country.

Our country faces many challenges, and I am sure we will continue to debate in the coming weeks how to address those, but today we will advance, on a bipartisan basis, lifesaving legislation that we know is working to combat fentanyl.

New data from earlier this summer found that drug overdose deaths dropped 27 percent last year, compared to the prior year. Since the advent of the opioid crisis, we now have a much better sense of what works to prevent and treat addiction, the resources we need to do so, and the light that exists on the other end of this terrible tunnel. But we can only get there if we keep up the fight.

The SUPPORT Act of 2018, signed into law by President Trump during his first term, established vital addiction treatment infrastructure. Reauthorizing this bipartisan law is essential to our addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery efforts. For example, the act includes funding for addiction treatment for pregnant women and funds for training and equipment to help first responders in this fight.

The original SUPPORT Act passed the Senate with 98 votes, and this bipartisan reauthorization passed the House with 366 votes.

Now the Senate will send it to the President's desk.

While we have made progress in this fight, we cannot be complacent. While there are still too many families and communities ravaged by addiction, we cannot despair. Nothing less than people's lives depend on us acting.

2483 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.
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Ms. HASSAN. Mr. President, the Senate just passed a major bipartisan package to reauthorize the SUPPORT Act, and it is headed to President Trump's desk. Today is proof that despite our differences, bipartisan progress is possible.

I am particularly pleased to be here with my colleague and chair of the HELP Committee Senator Cassidy, who has been instrumental in this fight and who will speak in just a moment.

To our first responders, know that training and equipment are coming to help make your job easier.

To our healthcare providers, know that resources are coming to help people get and stay in recovery.

To those battling addiction, know that support is on the way.

I am deeply grateful to a number of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and I am looking forward to Senator Cassidy's comments just now. I am also grateful to Senator Sanders for working with me on getting this done as well as the advocates who knew we could not give up in this fight.

This package will save lives, and I look forward to continuing to make available every tool we have to stop fentanyl.

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