Advocates of legislation to combat painkiller and heroin abuse are balking at changes House Republicans have made to a Senate-passed bill, arguing the revisions would compromise drug addiction prevention and recovery programs.
The House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday is scheduled to begin considering legislation to address the opioid crisis, a major priority for members in both chambers this election year.
But there have been simmering tensions between House Republicans and the senators who led the effort to get an opioid bill through the upper chamber over how quickly the House is moving and the specifics of the legislation being proposed.
“Some of the most important ideas are missing from the House Judiciary Committee’s alternative,” Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), who co-authored the Senate’s opioid bill, said on Tuesday. The Senate passed the legislation last month 94-1, and Portman called it “comprehensive. No other bill comes close.”
Portman faces a tough reelection race this year, and he is heavily promoting the opioid bill as part of his campaign.
As House Republicans come under increasing pressure to act on the opioid epidemic, a health subcommittee addressed a dozen bills this week to address the issue, with House leaders promising more to come.
The movement has done little to assuage Senate Republicans, who continue to question why the House won’t simply vote on a sweeping Senate bill that passed the upper chamber 94 to 1 and was crafted over three years with significant input from the House.
Ohio Republican Rob Portman took the issue to the Senate floor Thursday for his third speech aimed at House Republicans. “Health Subcommittee Chairman Joe Pitts marked up dozen bills yesterday. I appreciate these efforts,” said Portman, who is a co-author of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA).
“After our three years of work, it doesn’t make sense for the House to just set CARA aside to start from scratch. CARA is ready to become law today. There are other ideas out there, but before the House takes them up, the House should pass CARA.”
It might not make sense, but that’s the course Congress is on. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) have clearly made doing something in the House a priority, and Thursday’s mark-ups won’t be the last. But the decision to move ahead with fresh House bills rather than work from the Senate bill has consequences, the most significant of which is the need to reconcile the two bills in a conference committee. How the package will navigate the maze of congressional egos and reelection politics remains to be seen.
A GOP aide said that Republican leaders in both chambers have been in talks about expediting such a process, though it asks a lot of an institution that has ceased to function in any reliable way.
Along the way, Portman said on the floor, roughly 120 people are dying every day. Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.), who spoke at the House hearing, brought up the ongoing damage. “Nearly every 12 minutes, someone dies of a drug overdose in the United States,”he said.“That means someone has passed away since the gavel dropped.” Against the backdrop, the congressional process drags on.
It’s bad enough that Portman has to deal with Donald Trump being the nominee and trying to avoid him on his own turf at the GOP convention. But then again, it’s really naive on Portman’s end to think his Tea Party colleagues actually care about governing. Meanwhile, Portman’s opponent, former Governor Ted Strickland (D. OH) continues to hammer Portman on his past support for bad trade deals:
Ohio is my home.
After graduating from Woodward High School in Toledo and serving in the United States Navy, I've spent my adult life in the trenches of the fight for better wages and working conditions for Ohio workers.
One thing I've learned over the years is this:
There's no better friend to the working men and women of Ohio than TedStrickland. Ted is a fighter. He's a champion for working people. He's never stopped standing, marching, and working with us -- that's why I stand with Ted.
Seeing Ted touring across Ohio on his "No More Terrible Trade Deals" Tour -- from my home in Toledo, to Lima and Youngstown and many stops in between -- makes me proud. This election we have a clear choice: TedStrickland who will fight to raise our wages, support our bargaining rights, and oppose job-killing trade deals. Or Rob Portman, a Washington insider, a 'dedicated outsourcer,' and the best senator China's ever had.
It's clear that Ted cares about Ohio as much as I do. His opposition to bad trade deals is rooted in a clear understanding that they undermine American workers and give countries like China an unfair advantage. His opponent, Rob Portman, has supported bad deal after bad deal. In fact, during his time in Congress, Senator Portman voted for 8 trade deals while Ted voted against 8. He even voted to give China permanent most favored nation trade status, and Ted opposed it.
The stakes are clear but winning won't be easy: Ted's running in one of the hottest Senate races in the country. Senator Portman, the Koch brothers and their dark money allies have already spent up to $16 million to keep Senator Portman and the Republican majority in the Senate and allow them to continue pushing their outsourcing, anti-worker agenda.
I'll be honest: Hardworking Ohioans are fed up with politicians and special interests who don't represent us. And we are ready for a change. I believe Ted will bring the change we need in Ohio. That's why I'm asking you to chip in for Ted today.
