A bipartisan bill designed to combat overdose of durgs, especially heroin, has been refused its proposed funding of $600 million by the Republican-controlled chamber. However, the Democrats say that they will continue to lobby for the bill which is about to approach its final phase.
According to The New York Times, the proposed bill will support programs that will prevent and treat patients suffering from drug abuse, and set them on the path to recovery. It has solid backing from the Senators, and the only contested issue is the release of more funds, specifically $600 million. The Democrats had earlier indicated that they would withdraw support if federal funding is not given. The chamber, which is mostly controlled by Republicans, had blocked the additional funding, its members saying that similar programs have already received extensive financial support.
WMC Action News 5 elaborates on the extent of the massive drug problem that the bill intends to remedy. Fatalities arising from drug overdose have risen by more than 200% the past 16 years. More than 47,000 fatalities had been registered by federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2014. Of that number, wrong use of opium and heroin caused more than 28,000 deaths.
Senator Joe Manchin, a Democratic Senator from West Virginia, deplored the decline of additional funding, saying that the urgent need for it had elevated the drug problem issue to a matter beyond bipartisan politics.
The Hill has made it clear, however, that addressing the drug abuse overdose problem is not the issue. Both political parties had made their support very clear. The thorny dispute lies with the additional funds requested by Democratic Senators Chuck Schumer (Illinois) and Jeanne Shaheen (New Hampshire). Sheehan reiterated the urgency in a statement: "This commitment should also be matched with desperately needed emergency funding for our first responders and treatment providers."
