State of the Union: Congressman David Trone Releases Statement on President Biden’s Push to End the Opioid Crisis
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 7, 2023
Contact: Sasha Galbreath, Sasha.Galbreath@mail.house.gov
State of the Union: Congressman David Trone Releases Statement on President Biden’s Push to End the Opioid Crisis
Congressman David Trone (D-MD), co-chair of the U.S. Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking, released the following statement on President Biden’s continued effort to combat the opioid epidemic, conveyed in his State of the Union address:
“In 2016, I lost my 24-year-old nephew Ian to a fentanyl overdose. This fight is personal for me, as it is for over a million other families who have lost a loved one to drug overdoses since 1999. We must continue to see fentanyl as what it really is: the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-45 and the killer of 200 Americans every day. That demands an urgent all-of-government effort with bipartisan, data-driven solutions.
“Our nation is on course to lose over one million more lives this decade. It’s clear that the People’s Republic of China and Mexico have no intent to thwart the illicit trafficking of fentanyl precursors between their countries, nor the motivation to work with U.S. agencies to help identify and punish the individuals responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths across our country.
“Despite the lack of international cooperation, the United States will continue to combat this epidemic from every angle to reduce the supply and demand of fentanyl in our communities. This means securing our border – where the vast majority of fentanyl comes over through legal entry points and by American citizens – all while putting our full weight behind prevention, treatment, and recovery programs.
“Without question, the Biden administration has done more to address the opioid crisis than any of its predecessors, and I look forward to continuing our work together to save American lives.”
Congressman David Trone served as the co-chair of the U.S. Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking and currently serves as co-chair of the Bipartisan Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Task Force. Trone was elected to the House of Representatives in November 2018 to serve the 6th District of Maryland, which includes all or part of Montgomery, Frederick, Washington, Allegany, and Garrett Counties. Trone serves on the Appropriations, Budget, and Joint Economic Committees. In Congress, Trone is fighting to make progress on issues that matter to Marylanders, including the mental health and addiction crises, criminal justice reform, and funding for medical research.
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