Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., are calling on Congress for $100 billion to fight the nationwide opioid epidemic over the next 10 years.
"This is a crisis, it is out of control, and we have to have a strong response to it," Warren said on MSNBC’s "Morning Joe," on Thursday.
Cummings, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, added that the Comprehensive Addiction Resources Emergency (CARE) Act would ensure that state, local governments and other organizations "can get the funds they need to address this problem the way they think it ought to be addressed."
The bill would provide $100 billion in total federal funding, with $4 billion each year going to states, territories and tribunal governments with $2 billion going to states with the most overdoses, $2.7 billion per year to counties and cities that have been most hurt by the crisis, and $1.8 billion per year for research, public health surveillance and training health professionals.
"The fact is … that a 115 people per day are dying in our country, and so what we want to do is make sure we come up with the best and most effective and efficient way to deal with this problem," the congressman said.
"We can't defeat the opioid crisis with empty words and half measures," Warren said in a statement on Wednesday. "Our bill will funnel millions of dollars directly to the hardest-hit communities and give them the tools to fight back. Congress has acted before to root out an epidemic when it finally took action against HIV/AIDS — and Americans across the country are counting on us to do the same today."
"The opioid epidemic does not discriminate based on politics. It is devastating communities in red states, blue states, and purple states, and it is terrorizing families that are wealthy, poor, and everywhere in between. We need to learn from the past to develop a strong approach for the future. It is time for Congress to come together, put politics aside, and get to the heart of the problem—providing adequate and stable funding for states and local communities. Our bill does exactly that," Cummings said in a statement.
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