{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/statement-of-appropriations-vice-chairman-leahy-on-the-presidents-announcement-on-the-opioid-epidemic", "Statement Of Appropriations Vice Chairman Leahy On the Presidents Announcement On The Opioid Epidemic", "2017-10-26", "2017", "2017-10", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "10.26.17\n\t\t\t Statement Of Appropriations Vice Chairman Leahy On the President\u2019s Announcement On The Opioid Epidemic \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tIt is far past time for the administration to acknowledge that the opioid crisis is a national emergency that affects every community across the country. This is a scourge that does not discriminate between rich and poor, or Republicans and Democrats, or urban areas and rural ones.\u00a0 But the President\u2019s talk is just that \u2013 talk.\u00a0 There is no action or new funding behind the President\u2019s empty words to address this crisis. This is not acceptable.\u00a0\u00a0\r\nThe Republicans voted TODAY in the House of Representatives, and last week in the Senate, to slash Medicaid by $1 trillion, only to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy.\u00a0 Medicaid is a critical lifeline to providing critical care to victims of opioid abuse.\u00a0\r\nAnd the cuts do not stop there.\u00a0 The President\u2019s budget request seeks to eliminate programs, like the anti-heroin task force, that have proven to be effective, including in my home state of Vermont.\u00a0 In fact, the President\u2019s fiscal year 2018 budget would reduce funding for the opioid epidemic by $97 million.\u00a0\r\nThe Senate Appropriations Committee has not followed suit in making these reckless cuts.\u00a0 We instead are working to provide the necessary funding to address this crisis.\u00a0 Between programs within the Justice Department, Health and Human Services Department, and Veterans Affairs, fiscal year 2018 Senate Appropriations bills would provide roughly $1.4 billion in funding, an increase of more than $137 million above the President\u2019s budget request. \u00a0Including:\r\n \r\n$15 million at SAMHSA for a new opioid prevention program (nothing in President Trump\u2019s budget request).\r\n$500 million for the State Response To The Opioid Abuse Crisis grants.\r\n$12 million for Anti-Heroin Task Force grants to states (eliminated in the President\u2019s budget request).\r\n$386 million to treat and prevent opioid dependency among veterans.\r\n \r\nSenate Appropriations Committee Democrats have gone further to combat this epidemic like the public health crisis that it is.\u00a0 In September we put forward a proposal that would provide more than $1 billion in additional funding to further prevent and treat addiction to heroin and other opioids.\u00a0 It was voted down by our Republican colleagues.\u00a0 \u00a0\r\nWe are past the time for just talk.\u00a0 The administration MUST take real action to start acting like a true partner in addressing this national health crisis.\u00a0 And to genuinely address this crisis we will need more resources.\u00a0\r\nSince March, I have been calling on Republicans to negotiate a budget deal.\u00a0 This budget deal needs to provide equal relief from sequestration for non-defense programs. If we do this, we can provide resources and substantial increases in funding to address the opioid crisis.\u00a0\r\nMy state of Vermont has pushed forward, working together with communities, law enforcement agencies and health care providers to treat this as the health crisis that it is.\u00a0 Marcelle and I have sat with families in Vermont who have lost their children and Vermonters who are in recovery.\u00a0 These are people who want and need our help, not a jail cell.\u00a0 We cannot and will not arrest our way out of this problem.\u00a0 We must do better.\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tDavid Carle: 202-224-3693\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\t\n\t\n\t\n  \n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/statement-of-appropriations-vice-chairman-leahy-on-the-presidents-announcement-on-the-opioid-epidemic"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.579181058332324, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}