Kaptur responds to Trump Administration expected declaration of public health emergency on opioid crisis

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), the Dean of the Ohio Delegation, released the following statement after news that President Donald Trump, three months after an initial announcement to declare a national emergency, would formally issue an order declaring the opioid crisis a public health emergency.

"I hope the Trump Administration follows through without delay to use this order to provide relief to the millions of families suffering from this crisis," said Kaptur. "We cannot afford to wait months between an announcement and action. Nearly every community in Ohio has in some way been affected by this scourge. People are dying, Mr. President and as I said in August when you initially announced this move, Ohio is the epicenter of this crisis. I know many families will welcome the lifeline of funding and resources that real action will bring."

"Additionally, we must not go backward on the progress we have made. Medicaid expansion and the substance use coverage guarantee, made possible by the Affordable Care Act, have gone a long way to providing invaluable care to those in the grips of addiction," Kaptur continued.

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, Ohio has the most prescription opioid overdose deaths per capita in the country. In an August, letter to President Trump, Kaptur and her colleagues urged further action on the recommendations from The Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis.