28,000 people a year are dying of opioid overdoses in the United States, according to the latest federal data. That’s one life lost to heroin, fentanyl or prescription painkillers every 20 minutes. Think about that. Can you imagine if a deadly virus were killing 28,000 Americans every year? There would be wall-to-wall press coverage. Everyone would be talking about it. And you can bet that Congress would pass emergency funding legislation.
Sadly, this has not yet been Congress’s response to the opioid epidemic. As Senator Murray points out, negotiations between the House and Senate on the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) are an opportunity to get emergency resources to the frontlines. Unfortunately, we learned yesterday that this will likely be an opportunity lost, as lawmakers working on the bill have rejected a Democratic amendment to add this funding.
Passing legislation to curb the opioid epidemic without funding is like throwing out a life preserver with no air in it.
Opioids have devastated communities all across my home state of New Hampshire. On good days, our first responders and treatment providers are barely able to keep up with the opioid epidemic. On bad days, they are overwhelmed. Ask any police chief or inpatient staff what they need and they’ll give you the same answer: they need additional resources and they need them now. This epidemic has not only caused a drastic increase in overdose deaths, but also an increase in violent crime. Law enforcement professionals are stretched thin as they take on the gangs trafficking these drugs into the state and the dealers on the streets, while also responding to overdose emergencies and a crime wave fueled by addiction.
Meanwhile our treatment facilities don’t have nearly enough beds or staff. It’s heartbreaking to think about how many people with substance use disorders are being turned away from treatment they desperately need.
Senator Murray and I have been urging our colleagues in the Senate to pass legislation that would provide resources to states like New Hampshire that are reeling. In our conversations, I remind them that in public health emergencies Congress usually steps up to the plate and provides emergency resources to protect our country. In 2009, Congress passed nearly $2 billion in emergency funding to fight a swine flu epidemic. In 2014, Congress passed nearly $5.4 billion in emergency funding to combat Ebola which only killed one person in the United States.
It’s been eight months now since I introduced my bill that would provide $600 million to first responders and treatment providers — a modest amount compared to the scope of this crisis and what Congress has provided in the past for public health emergencies. Despite bipartisan support, Congress still hasn’t been able to deliver this legislation to the President’s desk. Congress needs to have a much greater sense of urgency. Americans suffering from addiction have waited long enough. Our first responders and treatment providers have waited long enough. It’s long overdue for Congress to treat the opioid epidemic like the emergency that it is and deliver emergency funding to help stem the tide of this crisis.
