Trump Gets Emotional As He Declares State Of Public Health Emergency

I live in Indiana. I have seen first hand what the opioid epidemic has done to small-town USA.

It seems that every day I hear of home invasions and ODs in once charming, close-knit small towns.

It’s absolutely heartbreaking.

President Trump gave an emotional speech about to the topic today.

Melania introduced President Trump:

This can happen to any of us, drug addiction can take your friends, neighbors and family. No state has been spared. And no demographic has been untouched.”

He followed…

President Donald Trump proclaimed the opioid epidemic a ‘national public health emergency’ this afternoon, opening up additional federal resources for recovering addicts.

 

Trump made the crisis personal as he delivered remarks on the issue from the White House’s East Room on Thursday with his wife Melania standing by.

He got really personal with it, which I appreciated…

Reflecting on the affliction that snuffed out 64,000 American lives last year, Trump brought up his brother Fred, who died of alcoholism when he was in his ’40s.

 

‘I learned myself, I had a brother Fred, great guy, best looking guy, best personality, much better than mine, but he had a problem,’ Trump said, noting how his brother would say again and again to not touch alcohol.

 

Trump said he listened to his brother’s advice and never touched booze nor cigarettes and suggested teaching kids when they’re young not to do drugs could do the trick.

 

‘We will defeat this opioid epidemic,’ Trump proclaimed. ‘We are going to overcome addiction in America.’

64,000 American lives. This is a crisis.

He continued..

When the president took the podium he called the epidemic not just a national problem, but a global one.

 

‘As you all know from personal experience, families, communities and citizens from across our country are currently dealing with the worst drug crisis in American history and even, if you really think about it, world history,’ Trump said.

 

He talked about the frequency of death from the drugs, noting the 64,000 figure.

 

‘That’s 175 lost American lives per day. That’s seven lost lives per hour in our country,’ Trump said. ‘Drug overdoses are now the leading cause of unintentional death in the United States by far.’

 

‘More people are dying from drug overdoses today than gun homicides and motor vehicles combined,’ the president practically marveled.

 

He shed light on one of the most horrific parts of the scourge, babies born addicted to opioids, spending the first days of their lives going through detox.

‘Some of these children will likely lose one or both of their parents to drug addiction and overdose,’ Trump noted. ‘They will join the growing ranks of America’s opioid orphans.’

He then brought up how this correlates to the wall. Many are criticizing this move… I think he’s exactly right.

An astonishing 90 percent of the heroin in America comes from South of the border where we will be building a wall, which will greatly help with this problem,’ Trump said.

I think everything he said was exactly right… now I’m curious as to what will be done to solve this.

Chris Christie attempts to answer that:

Christie, head of Trump’s opioid abuse commission, told USA Today that Trump’s action today ‘sends a clear signal from the president that he wants money appropriated into that fund.’

 

‘And it gives Congress a place to go with that money to give the administration some flexibility to use it to be able to use it to deal with some of the most pressing parts of it,’ he said.

 

Christie claimed Thursday that Trump was declaring the crisis a national emergency for all intents and purposes.

 

He highlighted a section of the Commission on Combatting Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis’ interim report that urged Trump to declare the drug crisis a ‘national emergency under either the Public Health Service Act or the Stafford Act.’

 

‘By using the Public Health Service Act, as we recommended, the President is showing an unprecedented commitment to fighting this epidemic and placing the weight of the Presidency behind saving lives across the country,’ Christie said.

 

Christie said the commission will be presenting a full report to Trump next week on Wednesday.

 

‘We look forward to the President’s remarks today and to the continued implementation of our comprehensive plan through this declaration in the weeks and months ahead,’ Christie said.

 

A public health emergency initially lasts 90 days. It can be renewed in perpetuity.

Thoughts?