Majority Leader McConnell’s Statement on Betsy DeVos
November 23, 2016
‘Betsy has a proven track record of important work to improve the lives of children across the country.’
Recent Press Releases
McConnell Comments on Surgeon General’s Report on Opioid Epidemic in America
Senators McConnell and Markey requested the report
November 17, 2016
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell commented today regarding the release of the Surgeon General’s Report: “Facing Addiction in America.” Last year, Senators McConnell and Edward Markey (D-Mass.) called on the Department of Health and Human Services to issue the report.
Currently, drug overdoses claim 104 Kentuckians per month and 129 lives across America each day. Kentucky is among one of the hardest-hit states, claiming a record 1,248 lives last year.
“With the alarming rise of opioid-related addictions and deaths in Kentucky and across the country, I was pleased to see this report highlight community-based prevention programs as being highly effective and encourages the importance of coordinated efforts to fight the epidemic,” Senator McConnell said.
The report finds that medications can be effective in treating opioid abuse, however the number of practicing physicians that offer these medications are lacking. It acknowledges the measures in the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) – passed and signed into law earlier this year – are important steps in helping fight the opioid epidemic.
“The implementation of CARA will help tackle the prescription opioid and heroin crisis by increasing prevention, treatment, recovery, and law enforcement efforts at the community and federal levels and it expands treatment by giving prescribing authority to nurse practitioners and physician assistants to administer medication-assisted treatments for opioid addiction. In the end, the report confirms that more needs to be done and as Majority Leader, I will continue to work with Senator Markey and others on our bipartisan efforts to fight this tragic epidemic,” Senator McConnell added.
A copy of the letter Senators McConnell and Markey sent to HHS can be found HERE. A copy of the Surgeon General’s Report is available HERE.
McConnell: Important Work Ahead
‘Let’s work together to finish up the business of this Congress as we begin looking forward to the next.’
November 17, 2016
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made the following remarks on the Senate floor today regarding remaining agenda items of the current Congress:
“It’s been a busy and exciting week as we’ve welcomed new members, assembled our leadership teams for the 115th Congress, and gotten to work on important issues.
“Today we’ll have the opportunity to take up a bill that’s particularly important for Gulf Coast states like Louisiana.
“Senator Cassidy has been a leader on this issue, and I appreciate the work he’s done to bring this measure up for a vote.
“Sometime this session we will also take up an extension of the Iran Sanctions Extension Act which passed the House overwhelmingly.
“This bipartisan bill, which provides the basis for any sanctions which may be re-imposed on Iran, is critical given the belligerent behavior exhibited by Tehran since the signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. I expect we’ll pass it on an overwhelming bipartisan basis here too.
“Discussions are also ongoing about how to fund the government and for how long, as I noted yesterday. I’ll have more to say on this issue as more details are available.
“So we’ve all got some work to do. Let’s work together to finish up the business of this Congress as we begin looking forward to the next.”
