[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 92 (Tuesday, June 5, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2973-S2974]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  JOB CREATION AND THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC

  Mr. McCONNELL. Now, on a final matter, Madam President, I spoke 
yesterday about the new job opportunities flooding into the U.S. 
economy. It is all thanks to the ingenuity of American workers and job 
creators, with an assist from Republican policies.
  Just this year, more than 1 million new jobs have been created, more 
than 3 million new jobs since January of 2017. The unemployment rate 
has sunk to 3.8 percent. It hasn't been that low in 18 years. In a big 
shift from the deeply uneven Obama era, communities all across America 
are getting in on the action. Rural areas led the whole Nation in 
relative job creation last year. Let me say that again. Rural areas led 
the whole Nation in relative job creation last year. Republicans are 
proud of the historic tax reform and

[[Page S2974]]

dramatic regulatory reform that helped make that happen.
  In addition to these nationwide policies, we are also delivering 
targeted strategies to help the specific communities that have suffered 
the most.
  In many parts of the country, including my home State of Kentucky, 
the Obama-era economic lag has intertwined with another major problem: 
the opioid epidemic. By one estimate, in 2016, more than 2 million 
Americans--2 million--were addicted to opioids.
  This crisis that is shattering families and communities is not an 
isolated medical issue. There is a reason experts describe many of 
these fatalities as ``deaths of despair.'' It is, in part, a symptom of 
declining opportunity and communities literally falling apart. Recent 
studies suggest that opioid use increased the most in precisely the 
communities where employment rates have fallen the most, particularly 
in the manufacturing sector.
  Complex problems demand comprehensive solutions, and that is exactly 
what this Congress will continue to deliver. We are attacking this from 
all angles. In a strong bipartisan fashion, we passed the Comprehensive 
Addiction and Recovery Act and the 21st Century Cures Act to bolster 
prevention, treatment, and law enforcement. I recently introduced the 
CAREER Act to help recovering addicts find jobs and stable housing to 
get back on their feet, and the Senate allocated billions in resources 
for treatment and prevention on the frontlines.
  The robust Federal response is helping our first responders and 
professionals combat the dangers of abuse, but, as is always the case, 
major challenges are rarely solved here in Washington. Congress can 
provide resources and support to vulnerable communities, but often we 
do the most good by getting government's foot off the brake and letting 
American innovators get back to business.
  For example, I recently heard some great news from one private sector 
problem-solver in my home State of Kentucky. In my hometown, US 
WorldMeds has spent the last 15 years working to bring relief to 
millions of Americans touched by opioid addiction. They have been 
working on introducing a medicine in the United States to help ease the 
symptoms of withdrawal. Just last month, we got word that they have 
received FDA approval. US WorldMeds' CEO, Breck Jones, believes this 
nonnarcotic medicine can help more addicts kick the habit altogether.
  I had the opportunity to visit US WorldMeds' facility last year. I 
was so impressed by what I saw. Now that team can scale up their 
efforts and begin getting their treatment into the hands of Americans 
whose lives it could help transform--all of it made easier when 
Washington offers targeted support where it is needed but mostly gets 
out of the way of the innovators. Talk about a winning combination.

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