Commending President Trump’s “decisive action” in combating the nation’s opioid epidemic, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tom Price recently released a supportive statement following Trump’s directions to administration officials to enforce strong response.
"President Trump is taking strong, decisive action in directing the administration to use all appropriate emergency and other authorities to respond to the crisis caused by the opioid epidemic,” Price said in a release. “(This) announcement demonstrates our sense of urgency to fight the scourge of addiction that is affecting all corners of this country.”
Trump previously declared the opioid crisis a national emergency, promising that once paperwork was drafted, funding would be channeled towards battling the scourge of abuse and addiction.
“I’m saying officially right now it is an emergency; it’s a national emergency,” Trump said. “We’re going to spend a lot of time, a lot of effort and a lot of money on the opioid crisis. It is a serious problem the likes of which we have never had … we are drawing documents now.”
Trump also noted that it is not just a domestic problem but an international one.
"Traveling the country, we have seen firsthand the devastation this crisis is inflicting on individuals, families, and communities,” Price said. “President Trump’s announcement further punctuates his clear commitment to combating this epidemic and I thank him for his leadership."
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