[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 68 (Thursday, April 26, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2463-S2464]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                            Opioid Epidemic

  Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, last month I had the pleasure of spending 
a lot of time with several mayors and local leaders who were in 
Washington with the Arkansas Municipal League. We had a lively and 
informative discussion on ways to continue the economic growth that has 
been taking place throughout Arkansas.
  While much of our conversation was focused on forward-thinking ways 
to continue these positive trends, there was also a very frank and 
candid discussion about an issue that is currently holding our 
communities back--the opioid crisis.
  Policymakers across our State have been struggling to help confront 
Arkansas's heroin and opioid epidemic. The Natural State has been hit 
particularly hard by this national crisis. Retail data collected from 
pharmacies shows that Arkansas has one of the highest per capita opioid 
consumption rates in the Nation. CDC data shows that we have the second 
highest prescribing rate in the country--enough for each Arkansan to 
have more than one opioid prescription in his or her name.
  It is an issue that all of us--from city leaders to lawmakers in 
Little Rock, to our Congressional delegation in Washington--continue to 
work tirelessly to confront because we have seen how pervasive this 
crisis is and how devastating its effects are.
  I know that everyone who serves in this Chamber is working just as 
feverishly with their State and local leaders to confront the crisis. 
That is why it is so important that we included substantial resources 
for a wide-ranging strategy to counter the epidemic, nearly $4 billion, 
in the omnibus bill.
  This funding will be used to provide additional resources for law 
enforcement and to continue important grant programs that help State 
and local governments offset the cost of opioid abuse. It will also 
support research into opioid addiction and alternative treatments.
  We must ensure that we are doing all we can to supplement State and 
local efforts to combat the spread of opioid abuse. Unfortunately, this 
is not currently happening. The Department of Justice is hurting our 
communities' efforts to get a handle on the crisis by withholding 
critical funds.
  The Byrne JAG grant program was created more than a decade ago to 
help States and local law enforcement agencies purchase essential 
equipment and support drug treatment and enforcement activities. It is 
the largest source of Federal justice funding to help provide law 
enforcement officers with the tools and training to protect our 
communities.
  Currently, DOJ is denying every State access to those funds because 
some communities and States are violating Federal immigration law. This 
leaves States like Arkansas scrambling to continue funding crucial 
safety programs.
  Arkansas law enforcement agencies have received millions of dollars 
through this program to support training, personnel, equipment, 
supplies, and information sharing. Arkansas is eligible for more than 
$2 million in funding from fiscal year 2017 to help fund 
multijurisdictional programs like drug task forces.
  Earlier this year, I met with Arkansas drug director Kirk Lane to 
discuss how crucial the Byrne JAG program is to our State's efforts to 
combat opioid abuse. Director Lane stressed that limited funds threaten 
the abilities of task forces to accomplish their missions.
  Matching funds from the State are running dry. So unless DOJ releases 
Byrne JAG funds, the critical work done by officers who are part of 
these task forces to fight the opioid epidemic will be seriously 
compromised. That is why earlier this year I led a bipartisan effort to 
express these concerns to Attorney General Sessions. Half a dozen

[[Page S2464]]

of our colleagues joined me in an effort to relay to the Attorney 
General that withholding these vital funds will have long-term negative 
consequences for our communities.
  Since we have not received a response from DOJ, I raised the issue 
again with the Attorney General at yesterday's Appropriations 
subcommittee hearing. As I said to the Attorney General, when I speak 
with local law enforcement and county sheriffs back in Arkansas, they 
all inquire about when these funds will be released and made available.
  While it may not seem like a whole lot of money, Byrne JAG grants 
make a huge difference. It is often the sole reason police departments 
in small communities are able to stand up a drug task force. I was 
encouraged by the Attorney General's response that the Department is 
determined to get the money out and that it is a high priority for him 
personally. It simply has to get done. I urge DOJ to rectify this 
situation quickly. With each passing day that local law enforcement is 
being denied these resources, lives that could be saved are lost.
  While we look for new ways to tackle this problem, one step 
Washington took years ago continues to help. The National Prescription 
Drug Take Back Day initiative, spearheaded by the DEA, has helped 
remove expired, unused, and unnecessary opioids from homes.
  Research has found that the majority of opioid abusers get their 
drugs from friends and family, often lifting pills from a familiar 
medicine cabinet. Removing them from homes helps to reduce 
experimentation and overdoses.
  In early 2010, a coalition of Federal and State law enforcement 
officials, prevention professionals, and private organizations launched 
an ongoing education program to encourage Arkansans to monitor, secure, 
and dispose of their prescription medications. The coalition organized 
Arkansas's participation in the DEA's National Prescription Take Back 
Day initiative and has hosted Arkansas Take Back Day collection events 
for the last 8 years.
  Despite our State's modest population, Arkansas ranks 13th in the 
Nation in total weight collected over the course of 14 statewide take-
back events. That is a testament to the coalition's efforts. These 
events have produced the return of almost 132 tons of unneeded 
medications, which amounts to over 400 million pills.
  This campaign is clearly succeeding in getting unnecessary 
prescription drugs out of circulation and in helping to break the cycle 
of addiction in our communities. Besides that, it is so important in 
getting rid of these prescriptions in the right way, as opposed to just 
flushing them in the toilet where they get in our water supply.
  The next take-back event is Saturday, April 28. There are more than 
130 permanent dropoff sites across Arkansas, and many law enforcement 
agencies host temporary dropoff sites on this day as well. I encourage 
Arkansans to once again participate in this worthwhile event in full 
force this year.
  Programs like the prescription drug take-back, in combination with 
local, State, and national efforts to combat the opioid crisis and help 
stem the tide of drug overdose and abuse, need to be supported and 
strengthened if we are serious about ending this crisis.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. CORKER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. CORKER. Mr. President, Mr. Grenell has a deep background in 
diplomacy and strategic communications. He received his master's degree 
in public administration from Harvard University at the John F. Kennedy 
School of Government. He spent 8 years as spokesman for the U.S. 
Mission to the United Nations in New York and worked for every U.N. 
Ambassador appointed by George W. Bush.
  German Chancellor Angela Merkel is scheduled to arrive in DC tomorrow 
for a 1-day working trip to meet with President Trump. Her visit comes 
at a time of heightened importance, with a number of critical items on 
the agenda, including transatlantic trade, the Iran nuclear deal, as 
well as Russia and Syria.
  I think it is very fitting that we are voting on this Ambassadorship 
today. I hope he will be quickly confirmed and sworn in.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the question is, 
Will the Senate advise and consent to the Grenell nomination?
  Mr. INHOFE. I ask for the yeas and nays.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
  There appears to be a sufficient second.
  The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk called the roll.
  Mr. CORNYN. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator 
from Arizona (Mr. McCain).
  Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Illinois (Ms. Duckworth) 
is necessarily absent.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Perdue). Are there any other Senators in 
the Chamber desiring to vote?
  The result was announced--yeas 56, nays 42, as follows:

                       [Rollcall Vote No. 85 Ex.]

                                YEAS--56

     Alexander
     Barrasso
     Blunt
     Boozman
     Burr
     Capito
     Cassidy
     Collins
     Corker
     Cornyn
     Cotton
     Crapo
     Cruz
     Daines
     Donnelly
     Enzi
     Ernst
     Fischer
     Flake
     Gardner
     Graham
     Grassley
     Hatch
     Heitkamp
     Heller
     Hoeven
     Hyde-Smith
     Inhofe
     Isakson
     Johnson
     Jones
     Kennedy
     Lankford
     Lee
     Manchin
     McCaskill
     McConnell
     Moran
     Murkowski
     Paul
     Perdue
     Portman
     Risch
     Roberts
     Rounds
     Rubio
     Sasse
     Scott
     Shelby
     Sullivan
     Tester
     Thune
     Tillis
     Toomey
     Wicker
     Young

                                NAYS--42

     Baldwin
     Bennet
     Blumenthal
     Booker
     Brown
     Cantwell
     Cardin
     Carper
     Casey
     Coons
     Cortez Masto
     Durbin
     Feinstein
     Gillibrand
     Harris
     Hassan
     Heinrich
     Hirono
     Kaine
     King
     Klobuchar
     Leahy
     Markey
     Menendez
     Merkley
     Murphy
     Murray
     Nelson
     Peters
     Reed
     Sanders
     Schatz
     Schumer
     Shaheen
     Smith
     Stabenow
     Udall
     Van Hollen
     Warner
     Warren
     Whitehouse
     Wyden

                             NOT VOTING--2

     Duckworth
     McCain
       
  The nomination was confirmed.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the motion to 
reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table and the President 
will be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
  The majority leader.

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