Issue Position: Opioid Crisis
Issue Position
David came to Congress with the promise to fight addiction and the opioid crisis. Since taking office in 2019, he has been widely recognized as a champion on this issue in Congress.
In early 2019, David formed the Bipartisan Freshman Working Group on Addiction, a working group made up of 60+ freshmen Members of Congress. These Members, both Republicans and Democrats, meet regularly with experts in the field of addiction to better understand the crisis and how Congress can respond. The working group has led the charge by drafting numerous pieces of legislation aimed at responding to the crisis.
In 2018, over 67,000 Americans died from overdoses. My nephew Ian was one of them.
Ian struggled with addiction for years. We did everything we knew to do -- and everything experts told us to do -- but it wasn't enough. After several days of searching, Ian was found dead from an opioid overdose.
From 2000 to 2015, half a million Americans were killed from drug overdoses. Six out of ten of those overdose deaths were opioid-related.
The statistics in Maryland are even more frightening. We have the 4th highest rate of opioid overdose deaths in the nation.
President Trump does not take this crisis seriously. He has proposed cutting the budget of the Office of National Drug Control Policy by 95%, refused to declare a national emergency to combat the crisis, and appointed a political advisor rather than a qualified expert to oversee the federal government's response.
This approach is wrong and the consequences are deadly. The government can and must do more to combat this epidemic.
I'm running for reelection because we need leaders in Congress who are serious about tackling this crisis. In the following link, you will find 12 action steps that I will continue to advocate for in Washington. These are just the beginning of what must be done to mount a serious response.
Join me in my fight to end this epidemic.
Click here to read my 12 Action Steps to Combat the Opioid Epidemic
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