Trump gave a great speech Thursday, declaring the opioid crisis a public health emergency. Trump often spoke of the crisis while campaigning and is preparing to take steps to deal with the problem.
Barnini Chakraborty reports at FOX News:
Trump declares opioid crisis a ‘public health emergency’Calling it a “national shame” and “human tragedy,” President Trump on Thursday declared the opioid epidemic crippling American communities a “public health emergency” and pledged federal resources to help combat the growing problem.“Addressing it will require all of our effort, and it will require us to confront the crisis in all of its real complexity,” Trump said during a speech in the East Room of the White House.“As Americans, we cannot allow this to continue,” Trump said. “It is time to liberate our communities from the scourge. … We can be the generation that ends the opioid epidemic.”Trump spoke to an audience at the White House that included family members of those affected by the opioid crisis, as well as several administration officials and elected leaders.The president, who said “not one part of American society has been spared” from the crisis, stopped short of calling it a national emergency, something he previously promised he’d do. The announcement follows months of debate on how to tackle the problem….Trump signed a presidential memo that directs acting Health and Human Services Secretary Eric Hargan to declare a public health emergency under the Public Health Services Act — which directs federal agencies to provide more grant money to combat the epidemic.
Here’s a partial transcript of Trump’s speech via Town and Country:
Thank you, Melania for your moving words and deep devotion. I can tell you to our nation and children. Thank you all to members of Congress, my cabinet, governors, members of Congress, state, local leaders, first responders and health care professionals gathered here today. We have some truly incredible people in this room that I can tell you.Most importantly, we acknowledge the families present who have lost a cherished loved one. As you all know from personal experience, families, communities and citizens across our country are currently dealing with the worst drug crisis in American history.And even, if you really think about it, world history. This is all throughout the world. The fact is this is a world-wide problem. This crisis of drug use, addiction, and overdose deaths in many years, it’s just been so long in the making, addressing it will require all of our effort and require us to confront the crisis in all of its very real complexity. Last year we lost at least 64,000 Americans to overdoses.That’s 175 lost American lives per day. That’s seven lost lives per hour in our country. Drug overdoses are now the leading cause of unintentionally death in the United States by far. More people are dying from drug overdoses today than from gun homicides and motor vehicles combined.
Read the rest here.
Watch it all below:
If you want to see a shortened version, you’re in luck. Trump tweeted one:
Featured image via YouTube.
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