WASHINGTON, D.C. – In remarks from the Senate floor, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today criticized the Senate for rejecting an amendment that would have provided $600 million in emergency funding to fight the opioid and heroin epidemic, calling it “a missed opportunity.” The amendment, which was offered by Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and supported by Senator King, would have appropriated money to support the various grant programs authorized by the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), legislation currently under consideration by the Senate. CARA currently only authorizes – but does not appropriate – funding to fight the opioid and heroin epidemic.

“We have done a lot together. We’ve got a good bill. We passed some good amendments. This is important work, but it has to be funded. The old saying in Maine, and I suspect elsewhere, is ‘put your money where your mouth is’,” Senator King said. “I was on a teleconference with some folks in Maine just two hours ago talking about this, and a Chief of Police said it’s time to move from talking about being interested in this to investing in it. We can’t solve this problem without money.”

Without the appropriations provided under the Shaheen amendment, the legislation will have to move through the Senate’s appropriations process, which will consume vital time.

Senator King has long supported the push to appropriate emergency funds. In January, he joined Senator Shaheen in York to announce his support for the measure, which would dedicate $600 million in immediate funding to law enforcement programs at the Department of Justice and treatment programs through the Department of Health and Human Services.

In his remarks, Senator King criticized the Senate for its willingness to approve billions of dollars in tax breaks at the end of 2015 without offsetting the costs while, today, rejecting a fraction of that money because it was not offset.

“So we swallowed $680 billion of entirely unfunded tax extenders, but we can’t bring it into our hearts to save lives for 1/1000^th of that amount. I’m confused by this. I don’t understand it. And, by the way, since this debate started at 2:00 p.m. this afternoon, ten people have died. We’re not talking about abstractions here. We’re talking about people’s lives,” Senator King said. “When we’re not willing to put the funds in to do this, it’s a false promise. I’m delighted that we’re working on this bill, and I think there is a lot of good in it, but to venture up to the edge of this problem and then step away because we’re not willing to pay for, what, in my mind, is one of the most serious emergencies we’ve faced since I’ve been in public life is disappointing, surprising, and a great missed opportunity for the country.”

Despite his frustration at the Senate’s failure to do more to address the problem, Senator King intends to vote for the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act. During consideration of the bill this morning, Senator King spoke from the Senate floor to share with the nation the heartbreaking story of Garrett Brown, a young man from central Maine who struggled with drug addiction. Garrett, whose story was recently chronicled by Erin Rhoda in the Bangor Daily News, long fought drug addiction before ultimately losing his life to a heroin overdose in November 2015.

Senator King has also offered several other amendments to the legislation, including a measure to improve care for babies born with neonatal abstinence syndrome from exposure to opioids during pregnancy, and another that would amend outdated Medicaid policy to expand access to substance abuse treatment.

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