[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Pages 4234-4236]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        SUBSTANCE MISUSE CRISIS

  Ms. HASSAN. Mr. President, I rise to deliver my first official speech 
on the Senate floor. I begin by saying how deeply grateful I am to the 
people of New Hampshire for the great trust they have bestowed upon me.
  I come from a State that combines rugged individualism with a strong 
sense of community. It is what I often call our ``all hands on deck'' 
approach, where we come together, we pitch in, and we help our friends 
and neighbors when they need it.
  Right now, we see this approach each and every day with those on the 
front lines of our State's devastating substance misuse crisis. Law 
enforcement officials, medical professionals, and citizens in every 
corner of our State work together to try to turn the tide of this 
deadly epidemic. The heroin, opioid, and fentanyl crisis is the most 
pressing public health and safety challenge facing New Hampshire. This 
epidemic takes a massive toll on our communities, our workforce, and 
our economy, and I know it is ravaging other States all across our 
Nation too.
  This crisis does not discriminate. It affects people in every 
community and from all walks of life. In 2016 alone, roughly 500 people 
in New Hampshire lost their lives as a result of this epidemic, and the 
spread of synthetic drugs, like fentanyl, is increasing dramatically 
the number of lives lost and is killing people faster with smaller 
amounts of drugs. Last year, more than 70 percent of confirmed New 
Hampshire drug deaths involved fentanyl. Lives are at stake, so every 
Member of this body must come together and put partisan politics aside 
to get results for our people.
  The people of my State have a long tradition of sharing their stories 
and making their priorities known to the elected officials who 
represent them, and everywhere I go, I hear stories from those who have 
been affected by this crisis. I hear inspiring stories from those in 
recovery who are working to put their lives back together, and I hear 
tragic stories from siblings, parents, and friends who know the pain of 
having a loved one taken from them far too soon. All of these stories 
are critical in breaking down the stigma of addiction and pushing for 
solutions. Instead of simply writing in an obituary that a loved one 
died suddenly, more and more families, including the families of one of 
my son's high school classmates, are speaking out and telling the 
painful stories of addiction and loss.
  Last year, at our annual Easter egg hunt that I hosted as Governor, I 
was approached by a woman on our statehouse lawn who was carrying a 
baby. After I took a picture and I admired the baby, she pulled me 
aside and said the little boy she was holding was not her son but her 
grandson and that his mother had died from an overdose 1 month earlier. 
She was there on the day before Easter, as we celebrated our spring 
ritual of renewal and hope, and shared that pain with me so we could 
move forward to help others in her situation.
  Just this week, on Monday, I met with a man named Phil, from Laconia, 
who is now in recovery. Phil said that over a year and a half ago, he 
had lost his home and nearly everything because of his substance use 
disorder. Now, thanks, in part, to the fact that he was able to gain 
coverage through the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion, Phil is 
substance-free. He has gone on to become a recovery coach, and he 
helped found a recovery center in Laconia, where he works to help 
others with the same challenges he had.
  We can never thank those in recovery and the families who have lost 
loved ones enough for speaking out about this issue and for working 
tirelessly and courageously to try to prevent others from suffering as 
they have, but while thanking them is appropriate, it is not enough. 
The bravery of survivors and those in recovery needs to be marked by 
our constant vigilance and by urgent action.
  I am grateful to the Senators who have been true leaders on this 
issue, especially my fellow Senator from New Hampshire, Jeanne Shaheen, 
who has fought tirelessly to secure funding to combat this crisis and 
help the people of our State. The passage of the Comprehensive 
Addiction and Recovery Act was an important step, as was the 21st 
Century Cures Act, which included some funding to fight the opioid 
epidemic. The Cures Act will not provide enough funding for our State, 
and I will continue fighting, alongside Senator Shaheen, to ensure that 
the Federal Government provides New Hampshire with the resources we 
need.

[[Page 4235]]

  I am pleased there has been bipartisan support for combating this 
crisis in the Senate, but we must continue to work together at all 
levels of government and with those on the front lines to battle this 
crisis.
  During my time as a member of the National Governors Association, I 
worked with my fellow Governors from both parties to push for steps, 
including passing emergency Federal funding to support States' efforts 
to combat this crisis, and at the State level in New Hampshire, we 
proved that we could come together to implement a comprehensive, ``all 
hands on deck'' strategy to support those on the front lines and help 
save lives.
  During my time as Governor, we secured $5 million in additional State 
funding for treatment, prevention, recovery, and housing programs. We 
worked together to provide law enforcement with additional resources 
through a program called Operation Granite Hammer. We expanded drug 
courts throughout New Hampshire, and we worked to crack down on 
fentanyl. In order to prevent the overprescribing of opioids, we took 
steps to improve provider training and update the rules for 
prescribers.
  Critically, Republicans and Democrats put their differences aside and 
came together to pass and reauthorize the New Hampshire Health 
Protection Program, also known as Medicaid expansion. Passing and 
reauthorizing this program included healthy debate and, at times, 
heated argument. What matters is that after those debates, we were able 
to take this essential step forward to continue strengthening our 
families, our businesses, and our economy.
  Medicaid expansion is providing quality, affordable health coverage 
to over 50,000 Granite Staters, including coverage for behavioral, 
health, and substance use disorder treatment. Thousands of people have 
received addiction treatment after gaining coverage through the 
Medicaid expansion program in New Hampshire. What is clear and what I 
hear from people in recovery centers all across my State is that lives 
are being changed and saved as a result of Medicaid expansion.
  Take, for example, Ashley, of Dover, NH. I first met Ashley at the 
Farnum Center in Manchester, and I have been inspired by her story ever 
since. Ashley is living proof of the positive impact of Medicaid 
expansion.
  Ashley had struggled for nearly a decade with heroin addiction, 
during which time she was arrested, her husband died from an overdose, 
and she lost the custody of her young child. Yet, as a result of her 
courage, perseverance, and the treatment she received for her substance 
use disorder under Medicaid expansion, Ashley's story is one of 
progress. She has been in recovery for over a year. She is employed, is 
working at Safe Harbor Recovery Center to help others who are 
struggling with addiction, and has moved to employer-sponsored 
insurance coverage.
  It was an honor to have Ashley attend the President's joint address 
to Congress as my guest of honor, and I will continue to carry her 
story with me in these Chambers and beyond.
  It is not just in New Hampshire. Republican Governors and some of my 
Republican colleagues in the Senate have made clear just how critical 
Medicaid expansion is to their States. As the Center on Budget and 
Policy Priorities has found, 2.8 million people with substance use 
disorders, including 220,000 with opioid disorders, have coverage under 
the Affordable Care Act. That is real and essential progress, but we 
know we have far more work to do. I am committed to working with 
Members of both parties in the Senate to continue building on these 
efforts.
  What we cannot afford to do, however, is to allow a partisan agenda 
to pull us backward. I am extremely concerned about the effect that 
legislation introduced by House Republicans last week--also known as 
TrumpCare--would have on our efforts to combat substance misuse. Make 
no mistake, this legislation would end Medicaid expansion, which 
experts have said is the most important tool available to fight the 
substance misuse crisis. This plan also cuts and caps the traditional 
Medicaid Program, which means States will be forced to either raise 
taxes or cut eligibility and services.
  As a former Governor, I know full well the impact the decisions in 
Washington can have on our communities. Repealing Medicaid expansion 
and capping traditional Medicaid would severely hurt the ability of 
those on the front lines to save lives and combat this deadly epidemic.
  Substance use disorder treatment providers have been clear that if 
Medicaid expansion is repealed, they will have to significantly cut 
back on the help they can provide to those in need. To pull the rug out 
from millions of people across the country who are seeking a lifeline 
from the throes of addiction is unconscionable. We cannot let that 
happen.
  In addition to making the substance misuse crisis worse, TrumpCare 
would affect countless others across New Hampshire and America, from 
individuals who buy their own insurance who would see their premiums 
skyrocket to older Americans who would now be forced to pay an age tax, 
to women and families who would be hurt by the provision that defunds 
Planned Parenthood.
  We know there is more work to do to improve and build on the 
Affordable Care Act, but this TrumpCare bill is not the answer, and I 
am working with my colleagues to fight against this legislation.
  Furthermore, I am working on additional legislation that would help 
combat this substance misuse crisis. I joined Senator Portman in 
introducing the STOP Act, bipartisan legislation that would help stop 
dangerous synthetic drugs like fentanyl and carfentanyl from being 
shipped through our borders to drug traffickers here in the United 
States. These synthetic drugs are only making this crisis more 
dangerous, causing a spike in deaths in New Hampshire and across the 
Nation. We must do everything possible to stop them from entering our 
country.
  I joined a bipartisan group of colleagues, led by Senator Klobuchar, 
to introduce the SALTS Act, which would empower law enforcement to 
crack down on synthetic substances and better prosecute drug 
traffickers.
  I also joined Senators Manchin, Shaheen, and several of our 
colleagues to reintroduce the LifeBOAT Act, which would establish a 
permanent funding stream to provide and expand access to substance 
misuse treatment.
  These are essential steps we need to take now. I will also continue 
evaluating additional legislative steps to support treatment, 
prevention, recovery, and law enforcement efforts. We know the road 
ahead will not be easy. The scourge of addiction requires us, at times, 
to change the way we have always done things at a quicker pace than is 
sometimes comfortable but that can never be an excuse for inaction.
  Every day, I am reminded of the stories like those of the grandmother 
I met at the annual Easter egg hunt, Phil's and Ashley's, and those of 
the thousands in my State who continue to feel the impacts of a crisis 
that is taking far too many lives. By making their voices heard, 
citizens in New Hampshire are breaking through the stigma of addiction 
and, in turn, are helping others seek the treatment and recovery they 
need. It is incumbent upon all of us to ensure that those critical 
services are there for them.
  We must all continue to speak up and fight for those who are 
voiceless and those who continue to struggle. We must reach out and 
work toward policies that can truly make a difference because often 
when we reach out, people reach back, but if we are silent or if we 
allow the rug to be pulled out from under those seeking help, this 
epidemic will only get worse. It will devastate even further our 
families, our communities, and our businesses.
  I am going to continue to fight to make progress, and I am willing to 
work with anyone to help those struggling to get the treatment they 
need and to support all of the dedicated professionals who are on the 
frontlines of battling this crisis. We will have to continue to fight 
together, each and every one of us, every single day, to

[[Page 4236]]

build on our efforts to combat this epidemic, and by working together, 
we can and we will stem and turn the tide.
  Thank you, Mr. President.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Gardner). The Senator from New Hampshire.

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