President’s Opioids Declaration is Far from Sufficient, DeGette Says
Washington, DC – President Donald J. Trump's just-announced plan to address the opioid epidemic is far from sufficient – starting with funding for the effort, Congresswoman Diana DeGette (D-CO), Chief Deputy Whip, said today.
"The president's declaration falls far short and does not deliver on his promise to make fighting the opioid epidemic a top priority," DeGette said. "Our state and local officials on the front lines of this fight have been very clear: They need more funding. The one billion dollars we provided in the 21st Century Cures Act was badly needed and a step in the right direction. But we must commit to devoting more funding and extending these vital dollars beyond 2018.
"So far, there's no evidence of an intention by the Trump administration to press for that. Instead, they have worked tirelessly to rip health insurance coverage away from millions of Americans, even though access to coverage is a lifeline for people suffering from addiction."
DeGette is the Democratic co-author of the 21st Century Cures Act, which President Barack Obama signed into law last December, addressing a number of biomedical research needs including providing $1 billion in funds to fight the opioid epidemic over the next two years. The Trump administration has noted that it is spending half that amount this year, but has not built additional opioid crisis funding into its own budget for the next year.
The public health emergency declaration that the president made today is valid for only 90 days, after which it can be renewed.
Colorado received $7.8 for opioid treatment and prevention as a result of 21st Century Cures in 2017, which distributes these funds state-by-state by need. The funding is managed by the Colorado Department of Human Services' Office of Behavioral Health. The state uses these funds to pay for medication-assisted therapy, family therapy, overdose reversal medications (naloxone), emergency room pilot studies, expansion of crisis services, training for primary care doctors and nurses, residential treatment and partnerships with law enforcement.
As a senior member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, DeGette has fought hard in Congress to reduce the opioid epidemic's impact through legislation, hearings and investigations into the systems that enable prescription drug abuse.