Washington, D.C. — Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade, issued the following statement regarding the passage of legislation to combat the opioid epidemic by the House of Representatives. 

“This week the people’s House took a significant step in confronting our nation’s opioid abuse epidemic. The devastating impact of addiction and abuse has been felt in every community across America—the bills passed this week put in place the tools necessary to fight this crisis and win.

“The House’s response to this public health threat strikes a careful balance to ensure that we do not obstruct patients’ access to pain medication that they truly need. It is more important than ever that we arm doctors with the accurate, complete, and up-to-date information they need to prescribe controlled substances for their patients appropriately.

“While we must act accordingly to ensure that these powerful pain medications do not fall into the hands of abusers, we must be sure that those experiencing chronic pain, particularly our veterans, can still access their medication.”

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