Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY) is leading the fight against drug overdose deaths with his bipartisan legislation, H.R.4531, the Support for Patients and Communities Reauthorization (SUPPORT) Act of 2023. The bill, which passed the House by a vote of 386 to 37, awaits action in the Senate. In this Washington Examiner op-ed, Subcommittee Chair Guthrie makes the case for why this critical legislation needs to become law. “In 2018, Congress took the important step of passing the landmark SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, comprehensive legislation aimed at reversing high rates of drug overdose deaths. At the same time, the Trump administration acted aggressively to cut off the supply of illicit fentanyl in our communities by temporarily scheduling fentanyl analogues as a Schedule I controlled substances.

“By all measures, this all-the-above approach was working. Between January 2018 and 2019, drug overdose rates declined, and we only experienced a small increase in drug overdose rates between January 2019 and 2020. But then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and lockdowns suddenly left millions of Americans trapped inside their homes and without the critical support systems needed to help people cope with substance use disorder. 

“Making matters worse was President Joe Biden’s decision to undue former President Trump’s border policies, including Remain in Mexico and Title 42. Due to the Biden administration’s open border policies, every state has become a border state with illicit drugs flowing into our communities at unprecedented rates.” 

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“In June, I led a health subcommittee field hearing in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to hear testimony from law enforcement, the medical community, and the heart-wrenching account of a father who tragically lost his daughter to an overdose.  

“I vividly recount him saying, 'We have turned misery into a mission. Calamity into a cause. We want to live our life with a purpose and to honor our beloved Leah Renee Stanley.' I’m committed to his mission of ending this epidemic that left so many families with an empty chair this past holiday season. I’m fighting for these families and for those suffering, which is why I led the reauthorization of the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act.  

“This legislation takes a three-pronged approach to curbing the overdose crisis: prevention strategies, providing access to life-saving treatment services, and making investments in long-term recovery support services. We do this by permanently placing Xylazine on the controlled substances list, providing access to comprehensive behavioral and substance use disorder treatment services for Medicaid patients, and promoting access to career training for those working to overcome their substance use disorder. 

“This isn’t a silver bullet, and Congress will need to be agile as we work to end the drug overdose epidemic, especially as the crisis at the southern border rages on. But this is an important step to addressing the many challenges we face as we work to put an end to the overdose epidemic.” 

CLICK HERE to read the full op-ed.