Rep. Tenney Signs on to Letter Asking President Trump to Renew Public Health Emergency Declaration

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 -- Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-New York, issued the following news release:

Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-22), a member of the Bipartisan Heroin Task Force, today called on President Trump to recertify the Public Health Emergency for the opioid epidemic and work with Congress to secure the funding necessary to support the declaration.

"The mortality rate from opioid abuse is at all-time high. I urge President Trump to extend this declaration and allow for maximum federal flexibility to combat this national epidemic. Law enforcement officers, first responders and treatment centers are forced to adapt to the evolving health crisis without the tools or resources they need to do so. A Public Health Emergency Declaration is critical to ensure that our communities are equipped with the resources necessary to end this scourge," said Congresswoman Claudia Tenney.

Over 144 Americans die of an overdose every day. In Oneida County, 38 died of opioid overdoses last year. While Broome County lost 76 people to drug overdoses, 90 percent of which were opioid related.

Rep. Tenney has led the fight in Congress to provide funding and resources to opioid abuse reduction measures, including voting to increase funding to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and high intensity drug trafficking areas.

Rep. Tenney is also an original cosponsor of the Veterans Opioid Abuse Prevention Act, National Strategy for Combating the Financing of Transnational Criminal Organizations Act, Comprehensive Fentanyl Control Act and the Road to Recovery Act.

Text of Letter:

January 19, 2018

President Donald J. Trump

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

As members of the Bipartisan Heroin Task Force, we strongly urge you to direct the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services to renew the public health emergency declaration first declared on October 26, 2017 by Acting Secretary Eric. D. Hargan, which will expire on January 23, 2018.

In December 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released their 2016 drug overdose mortality figures. The CDC reported an opioid-related mortality rate increase of 28 percent over the last year, or more than 42,000 opioid-related overdose deaths. Alarmingly, CDC reported lethal fentanyl and synthetic opioid involved in over 19,000 overdose deaths, a figure that represents a doubling over 2015 statistics.

The CDC's new data demonstrates the immediate need for a renewed and well-resourced public health emergency focused on this drug crisis. As the increasing prevalence of synthetic opioids makes clear, this crisis is rapidly evolving. The changing face of the crisis has made an already difficult situation more precarious. Our communities continue to suffer from the scourge of opioid misuse; we as a nation need to ensure all federal resources are mobilized to effectively address this crisis.

As you know, a national public health emergency declaration provides the federal government with additional tools it could use to help communities across the country grapple with this disease. While it is important for this declaration to be renewed to allow for maximum federal flexibility to combat this epidemic, cooperation with Congress to provide the necessary funding to properly support such an emergency declaration is vital. We urge you to work with Congress to advance additional funding as part of fiscal year 2018 budget negotiations as well as the inclusion of emergency supplemental funding for any continuing resolution.

We were encouraged when you delivered on your promise to declare the opioid epidemic a public health emergency and stand ready to assist you in a bipartisan effort to ensure that a renewed declaration is well-resourced and has the full support of Congress.

Sincerely,

Tom MacArthur

Member of Congress

Anne McLane Kuster

Member of Congress

Brian Fitzpatrick

Member of Congress

Donald Norcross

Member of Congress

Claudia Tenney

Member of Congress