Commerce, Justice, Science, Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, Interior, Environment, Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act, 2020

Floor Speech

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Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, just over a year ago, President Trump signed into law a major bipartisan bill, the SUPPORT Act, to help combat the opioid and drug epidemic that is devastating this country. I call that a very good first step in this long fight, and now we must continue working to do even more.

Drug overdoses are now the leading cause of death for those under age 50 in the United States. Our country is in the middle of a major opioid and meth crisis, and the sad reality is, this epidemic isn't slowing down anytime soon. It has been said that meth is the next wave of the opioid crisis.

Sadly, in my home State of Montana, that wave is already reality. Meth is destroying Montana families and communities. As I travel across Montana, I hear far too many heartbreaking stories of addiction and tragedy. From Great Falls to Wibaux, to the Flathead and across Indian Country, the stories are all too real.

We need to do more to put an end to the tragic stories we are seeing in the news--no more stories of babies being born addicted to meth; no more stories of meth breaking up families; no more stories of babies being left in the forest--literally left in the forest--because their parents were high on meth. These stories are real, and their impacts are real.

Montana's meth crisis is claiming lives, breaking up families, and leaving our foster care systems overcrowded and sometimes overloaded. It is leading to a significant rise in violent crime. In fact, from 2011 to 2017, there was a 415-percent increase in meth cases in Montana, with meth-related deaths rising 375 percent during those same years.

In Montana, the meth crisis is disproportionately impacting Native American Tribes. Enough is enough. That is why I fought to include my legislation, the Mitigating METH Act, which strengthens Indian Tribes' ability to combat drug use, in the SUPPORT Act that was signed into law just last year.

That historic and comprehensive legislation was a great first step, but there is a lot more work that needs to be done, and tangible things can be done.

In Montana--we are a northern border State, but we have a southern border crisis. I say that for a very clear reason. There is no denying the fact that the meth that is invading Montana and that is devastating Montana is Mexican cartel meth. It is not homegrown meth anymore; it is Mexican cartel meth that is smuggled across the southern border.

Mexican meth is cheaper and more potent. In fact, several years ago, the meth we saw in Montana was homegrown meth. It had potency levels around 25 percent. Today, the Mexican cartel meth has a potency level of over 90 percent. That results in a much more dangerous form of meth. It is much more widespread, and the price has dropped.

I have met with Montanans across our State--whether it is law enforcement, doctors, nurses, treatment facility professionals--to come together, to work together, and to help combat the meth crisis we see in Montana. I am committed to fighting for more resources that give law enforcement and Border Patrol the tools they need to fight this epidemic. I will also continue to advocate for stronger support for treatment and care for our most vulnerable. Those who are addicted to meth need help, and they need compassion.

One thing we absolutely must do to help combat the drug epidemic is to secure our southern border because without secure borders, these illegal drugs and meth will continue to come across that southern border and have easy access into our country and into States like Montana. I won't stand by and let this be the norm.

Earlier this summer, I was honored to welcome Vice President Pence and Karen Pence to Billings. They got to see this crisis firsthand. They got to hear directly from law enforcement and Montana families impacted by the crisis. I saw Vice President Pence and Mrs. Pence sitting around a table inside a facility that is helping moms who are addicted to meth and who are working with moms and their children to get better. They were telling their stories about how they have gotten better through treatment at the Rimrock Foundation facility there in Billings and starting out a much brighter chapter in their lives because of the help provided from Rimrock.

I stand with President Trump. I stand with his administration as we work together to secure our borders and protect our communities from illegal drugs and to end this crisis.

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