WASHINGTON, DC - House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR), Health Subcommittee Chairman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), and #SubEnergy Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) issued the following statement on the Labor-HHS appropriations bill, which includes critical funding for the landmark 21st Century Cures (Cures) Act and additional efforts to combat the opioid crisis.
“Congress is once again putting our money where our legislation is in hopes that we can help spur the health care innovation patients and families across the country so desperately need. From cancer and rare diseases to mental health and substance use disorders, these resources will help our scientists and researchers uncover the next generation of cures and treatments and better the lives of patients across the country.
“Combating the opioid crisis requires an all-hands-on-deck response and these additional grants will help bolster our local response to the heartbreaking scourge that claims more than 100 lives each and every day. Cures is about hope, and with this funding package we’ll take another step forward in changing the way we treat disease and fighting the opioid crisis that has ravaged our communities."
Background:
The Labor-HHS appropriations minibus includes $6.7 billion, a historic level of funding, to boost programs that fight, treat, and stop substance abuse, and support access to mental health services. These resources include increased funding for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Cures was signed into law in December 2016 and has been hailed as a game-changer in how we treat disease. Furthering these efforts, in June, President Trump signed into law S. 292, the Childhood Cancer STAR Act, the most comprehensive childhood cancer legislation ever considered by Congress.
