U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.) Thursday released the following statement after President Trump declared a national emergency over the opioid crisis:
“Opioid abuse is having a devastating impact on our communities, and President Trump’s declaration of a national emergency treats this epidemic with the urgency it requires. I will continue working with my colleagues and the administration to make sure first responders, law enforcement, medical professionals, treatment providers, and families in our communities have the tools and resources needed to solve this crisis.”
BACKGROUND
Congress last year passed into law the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), bipartisan legislation to address the nationwide opioid epidemic. Congresswoman Walorski served on the conference committee that negotiated the final bill, which included two provisions she authored. One requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to participate in state prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs), and the other allows the VA to use FDA-approved medical devices and other non-opioid therapies to treat chronic pain.
Walorski recently questioned Medicare’s top fraud prevention official at a committee hearing about how safeguards failed to prevent a doctor in Indiana from prescribing more than $1 million in opioids to 108 patients under Medicare’s prescription drug program.
Walorski represents the 2nd Congressional District of Indiana, serving as a member of the House Ways and Means Committee.
