[applause] thank you for being here today. It saddens me. We are here today because of your courage. The Opioid Epidemic impact more than 2 million americans nationwide, and sadly, the number continues to rise. Americansre than 175 to overdoses every day, and millions more are struggling with addiction. As many of you know, addiction affects people in many different ways. I have recently taken a larger incident and what i can do to help. [applause] i have been participating in listening and i have been visiting with people who have been affected by this disease. I want to take a moment now to tell you what i have learned from the men and women on the front lines of this epidemic. Don holman talked to me about his son, garrett. Who took medication for adhd and suffered from depression and anxiety. He explained that social media played a part in his sons erratic moods and behaviors. Garrett started to buy synthetic opioids online and selfmedicated for his depression, passing away from an overdose just eight days before his 31st birthday. Don holman taught me the stigma of drug addiction must be normalized and talking about it is the only way to do that. Coach david mcgee talked about his friend who became addicted after his pain medication were prescribed for sports injury. His friend died from an overdose and through his tragic loss, coach mckee taught me how important it is to educate kids, athletes, and parents because his friend was not weak minded. In fact, like so many of our kids today, he was competitive and strongwilled. Sara dean collier who is now in her 10th year of recovery helped me learn drug addiction is a disease but with the proper support and medical attention a person can move on to live a healthy and happy life. We are so proud of you for all that you have overcome and pray for you as you continue on this journey. Where are you . Hello. [applause] when i had the honor of visiting lilys place in West Virginia, a center for infants born addicted to drugs, i learned to help babies succeed we must help their parents succeed. Replacing the priority of by placing the priority on the whole family,ly lilys place is giving infants the best opportunity to thrive because their parents are being given the support and tools they need to succeed. I want to thank Rebecca Crowder and the staff at lilys place for their heroic efforts. \[applause] i have learned so much from those brave enough to talk about this epidemic and i know there are many more stories to tell. But what i found to be the common theme with all of these stories is that this can happen to any of us. Drug addiction can take your friends, neighbors, or your family. No state has been spared. And no demographic has been untouched. Which is why my husband and his administration has dedicated itself to combating this Health Crisis by using every resource available. Im so proud to support him today as he see this is commitment through. I look forward to continue my work on behalf of children across the country and hope that citizens everywhere will join forces with this administration to help end this Health Crisis. Thank you very much for being here with us today, bless you all and god bless the United States of america. [applause] President Trump thank you, melania, for your moving words and your devotion. Theres a very deep devotion, i can tell you that, to our nation and its children. Thank you also 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, you really think about it, world history. This is all throughout the world. The fact is, this is a worldwide problem. This crisis of drug use, addiction, and Overdose Deaths in many years, its just been so long in the making. Addressing it will require all of our effort and it will require us to confront the crisis in all of its very real complexity. Last year, we lost at least 64,000 americans to overdose. Thats 175 lost american lives per day. Thats seven lost lives per hour. In our country. 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 from gun homicides and Motor Vehicles combined. Think of it. Motor vehicle crashes. Gun homicides. More people. By far. From drug overdoses. These overdoses are driven by a massive increase in addiction. To prescription painkillers, heroin, and other opioids. Last year, almost one million americans used heroin. And more than 11 million abused prescription opioids. The United States is by far the Largest Consumer of these drugs, use manager opioid pills per person than any other country, by far, in the world. Opioid Overdose Deaths have quadrupled since 1999 and now account for the majority of fatal drug overdoses. Who would have thought . No part of our society, not young or old, rich or poor, urban or rural, has been spared this plague, drug addiction. And this horrible, horrible situation thats taken place with opioids. In West Virginia a truly great state, great people, theres a hospital nursery where one in every five babies spends its first days in agony because these precious babies were exposed to opioids or other drugs in the womb, they endure nausea, pain, anxiety, sleeplessness and trouble eating, just the same as adults undergoing detox. Some of these children will likely lose one or both of their parents to drug addiction and overdose. They will join the growing ranks of americas opioid orphans. Such beautiful, beautiful babies. Beyond the shocking death, though, the terrible measure of the Opioid Crisis includes families ripped apart and for Many Community a generation of lost potential and opportunity. This epidemic is a National Health emergency. Unlike many of us, weve seen and what weve seen in our lifetimes, nobody has seen anything like whats going on now. As americans, we cannot allow this to continue. It is time to liberate our communities from this scourge. Of drug addiction. Never been this way. We can be the generation that ends the Opioid Epidemic. We can do it. [applause] that is why, effective today, my administration is officially declaring the Opioid Crisis a National PublicHealth Emergency under federal law. And, why i am directing all executive agencies to use every appropriate Emergency Authority to fight the Opioid Crisis. This marks a critical step in confronting the extraordinary challenge that we face. As part of this emergency response, we will announce a new policy to overcome a restrictive 1970s era rule that prevents states from providing care at certain Treatment Facilities with more than 16 beds for those suffering from drug addiction. [applause] a number of states have reached reached out to us asking for relief and you should expect to see approvals that will unlock treatment for people in need and those approvals will come very, very fast, not like in the past. Very, very quickly. Ending the epidemic will require mobilization of government, local communities and private organizations. It will require the resolve of our entire country. The scale of this crisis of addiction is why, soon after coming into office, i convened a president ial commission headed by governor Chris Christie that has consulted with experts across america to listen, to learn, and report back on potential solutions. We await the final report which will come in next week and i know some of the report has already been seen because i want to see it as quickly as possible and some of the things that they are recommending are common sense but very, very important and theyre going to have a tremendous impact, believe me. Tremendous impact. Today i will detail many of these aggressive steps with my administration, which weve already taken. After we review and evaluate the commissions findings, i will quickly move to implement appropriate recommendations but i want the American People to know the federal government is aggressively fighting the Opioid Epidemic on all fronts. Were working with doctors and medical professionals to implement best practices for safe opioid prescribing and we will do something very, very special, we are requiring federally employed prescribers to receive, finally, special training. The centers for Disease Control and prevention has launched a Prescription Awareness Campaign to put faces on the danger of opioid abuse. I want to acknowledge cs doctor cvs caremark that it will limit certain firsttime opioid prescriptions to sevenday supplies among other important reforms and i encourage other companies to do their part to help stop this epidemic. [applause] the f. D. A. Is now requiring Drug Companies that manufacture prescription opioids to provide more training to prescribers and help prevent abuse and addiction and has requested that one especially highrisk opioid be withdrawn from the market immediately. We are requiring that a specific opioid, which is truly evil, be taken off the market immediately. [applause] the u. S. Postal service and the department of Homeland Security are strengthening the inspection of packages coming into our country to hold back the flood of cheap and deadly fentanyl, a synthetic opioid manufactured in china and 50 times stronger than heroin and in two weeks i will be in china with president xi and i will mention this as a top priority. [applause] he will do something about it. I am also pleased to report that for the first time the department of justice has indicated Major Chinese drug traffickers, and they have really put very, very strong clamps on them, theyve indicted them, the drug traffickers, for distributing fentanyl into the United States so jeff, thank you very much. Good job. [applause] and theyve been indicted and were not going to forget about them, believe me. They are doing tremendous harm to our country. The Justice Department is aggressively and really valiantly pursuing those who illegally prescribe and traffic in opioids both in our communities and on the internet and i will be looking at the potential of the federal government bringing major lawsuits against bad actors, what they have and what theyre doing to our people is unheard of. We will be bringing some very major lawsuits against people and against companies that are hurting our people and that will start taking place pretty soon. \[applause] were also supporting First Responders and medical professionals access to the tools they need to prevent deaths through lifesaving overdose medications. At my direction, the National Institute of health headed up by francis collins, has taken the first steps of an ambitious Publicprivate Partnership with pharmaceutical companies to develop nonaddictive painkillers and new treatments for addiction and overdose. So important. [applause] i will be pushing the concept of nonaddictive painkillers very, very hard. We have to come up with that solution. We give away billions and billions of dollars a year and were going to be spending lots of money oncoming up with a nonaddictive solution. We will be asking dr. Collins and the n. I. H. For substantial resources in the fight against drug addiction. One of the things our administration will be doing is a Massive Advertising Campaign to get people, especially children, not to want to take drugs in the first place because they will see the devastation and the ruination it causes the people and peoples lives. Watch what happens if we do our jobs, how the number of drug users and the addicted will start to tumble downward over a period of years. It will be a beautiful thing to see. I learned myself, i had a brother, fred, great guy, best looking guy, best personality, much better than mine. [laughter] but he had a problem he had a problem with alcohol. He would tell me, dont drink. Dont drink. He was substantially older and i listened to him and i respected but he would constantly tell me, dont drink. He would also add, dont smoke. But, he would say it over and over and over again. To this day, ive never had a drink. I have no longing for it. I have no interest in it. To this day, ive never had a cigarette. Dont worry, those are only two of my good things. I dont want to tell you about the bad things. [laughter] theres plenty of bad things, too. He really helped me. I had somebody that guided me. He had a very, very, very tough life because of alcohol, believe me, very, very tough, tough life. He was a strong guy but it was a tough, tough thing that he was going through. But i learned because of fred. I learned. And thats what i think is so important. This was an idea that i had, where if we can teach young people not to take drugs, just not to take them, when i see friends of mine that are having difficulty with not having that drink at dinner, where its literally almost impossible for them to stop, i say to myself, i cant even understand that, why would that be difficult . But we understand why it is difficult. The fact is, if we can teach young people and people generally not to start, its really, really easy not to take them. And i think thats going to end up being our most important thing. Really tough, really big, really great advertising. So we get to people before they start. So they dont have to go through the problems of what people are going through. [applause] we are already distributing nearly 1 billion in grants for addiction prevention and treatment and over 50 million to support Law Enforcement programs that assist those facing prison and facing addiction. Weve also launched an 81 Million Partnership to Research BetterPain Management techniques for our incredible veterans. And soon [applause] and by the way, secretary shulkin is here, you have done an incredible job for our veterans in a very short period of time. [applause] and soon, h. H. S. Will launch a task force to develop an update best practices for Pain Management across the federal government. I am urging all americans to help fight this Opioid Epidemic and the broader issue of drug addiction by participating in the National Prescription drug takeback day this saturday. When you can safely turn in these dangerous and horrible drugs for disposal, that will be a wonderful, wonderful period of time for you. All of these actions are important parts of my administrations larger effort to confront the drug addiction crisis in america and confront it head on. Straight on. Strong. Were going to do it. Were going to do it. For too long we have allowed drugs to rah vadge american homes, cities, and towns. We owe it to our children and to our country to do everything in our power to address this National Shame than human tragedy. We must stop the flow of all types of Illegal Drugs into our communities. [applause] for too long, dangerous criminal cartels have been allowed to infiltrate and spread throughout our nation. An astonishing 90 of the heroin in america comes from south of the border where we will be building a wall which will greatly help in this problem. [applause] well have a great impact. My administration is dedicated to enforcing our immigration laws, defending our maritime security, and securing our borders. We also have to work with other countries to stop these drugs where they originate. We have no choice. We have to work with others, we have to get together because they have similar problems to what we have, some countries have bigger problems than we have. Whether that country is china, whether its a country in latin america, it makes no difference. Were going to be working with all of them. Were taking the fight directly to the criminals and places that theyre producing this poison. Here in america, we are once again enforcing the law, breaking up gangs and distribution networks, and arresting criminals who peddle dangerous drugs to our youth. In addition, we understand the need to confront reality right smack in the face that millions of our fellow citizens are already addicted. Thats the reality. We want them to get help they need. We have no choice but to help these people that are hooked and , and are suffering so they can recover, and rebuild their lives with their families. Were committed to pursuing innovative approaches that have been proven to work like drug courts. Our efforts will be based on sound metrics and guided by evidence and guided by results. This includes making Addiction Treatment available to those in prison and to help them eventually Reenter Society as productive and lawabiding citizens. Finally, we must adopt the most common sense solution of all, to prevent our citizens from becoming addicted to drugs in the first place. [applause] we must and are focusing so much of our effort on drug demand reduction. We must confront the culture of drug abuse head on to reduce demand for dangerous narcotics. [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2016] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] every person who buys ill list drugs here in america should everybody who buys illicit drugs in America Needs to know they are risking their families, and their lives. Every american should know if they purchase Illegal Drugs, they are helping finance some of the most violent and ruthless organizations anywhere in the world. Illegal drug use is not a victimless crime. There is nothing admiral, admirable, positive about it. There is nothing desirable about drugs. They are bad. We want the next generation of Young Americans to know the. Lessings of a drugfree life in this enormous struggle against drug addiction and Opioid Epidemic, it really is that. Epidemic. Our greatest hope is the same as it has always been. Through every trial, america has encountered throughout our history, the spirit of our people and our character, we win. Each of us has a responsibility to this effort. We have a total responsibility to ourselves, to our family, to our country. Including those who are struggling with this addiction. It give us almost all of us have witnessed the horror of addiction, through the struggle of a friend, coworker, or frankly, a family member. Our current addiction crisis, and especially the epidemic of opioid deaths will get worse before it gets better, but get better it will. It will take many years, even decades, to address this scorch in our society. We must start in earnest now to combat National Health emergency. We are inspired by the stories of everyday heroes who pulled their communities from the depths of despair through leadership and through love. Of newief dan curran hampshire runs a program, safe station, which allows drug dependent residents to seek help at fire stations at any time. Swofford ofindy dayton, ohio have provided a loving stable home to children affected by the Opioid Crisis. I am calling on every american to join the ranks of Guardian Angels like chief nunan and the swoffords who help lift up the people of our great nation. Together, we will care for our citizens, our children and our orphans. You know what i am going to say, our foster youth. So many, so many, but we are going to lift them up and take care of them. We will work to strengthen vulnerable families and communities and we will help to build and grow a stronger, healthier and drugfree society. Together, we will face this challenge as a National Family with conviction, with unity and with a commitment to love and support our neighbors in times of dire need. Working together, we will defeat this Opioid Epidemic. It will be defeated. We will free our nation from the terrible affliction of drug abuse and yes, we will overcome addiction in america. We are going to overcome addiction in america. We have fought and won many battles and when he many wars again. And we will win thank you, god bless you and god bless america. Thank you. [applause] [applause] this is very important. So important. [applause] [indiscernible] [applause] ladies and gentlemen, please be seated until our guests have departed the east room. Announcer cspan, where history unfolds daily. As a79, cspan was created Public Service by americas Cable Television companies. It is brought to you today by your cable or satellite provider. This morning, live coverage of remarks by cilia burwell at a Health Care Policy forum hosted by american university, where she is the president. Live coverage at 9 00 a. M. Eastern on cspan two. Then a panel on capitol hill looks at managing Health Care Costs and improving treatment outcomes. We hear from industry representatives, Business Leaders and academics at noon eastern on cspan. In the afternoon, Ruth Bader Ginsburg will talk about social justice with a group of law students from across the country. Clock p. M. Ge at four eastern on cspan. You can stream that online at cspan. Org and via the cspan radio app. On capitol hill, the house of representatives approved a budget resolution for 28 allowing lawmakers to move with tax reform. How does the republican Budget Proposal specifically set up the next stance for tax reform in congress . One, it sets up reconciliation and that is the fasttrack procedure that lets a bill moves through the senate in particular without any democratic votes. It can on the floor with