The subcommittee will come to order. I will recognize myself for an Opening Statement. The United States of america is in the midst of a fierce battle against an epidemic brought to us by opioids. It does not matter where you live. This crisis has touched every corner of american society. While new england and the ohio valley regions represent states hardest hit by. The epidemic, Health Officials from the south and reaching across the Mountain West report deaths of those counties. The latest figures from the centers for Disease Control and prevention is astounding. 91 americans die every day from an overdose. Now more than ever we must come together and strengthen our commitment to fight this. I expect todays members will bring to the forefront key insights and potential solutions on this critical issue. In the previous congress, the energy and Commerce Committee led several initiatives to help address the the Opioid Epidemic. The comprehensive recovery act and the 21st century cures a
Of our own accord using the kinetics we have seen. We have seen Good Progress but it is insufficient and we will continue to lean on that. As it relates to the political process, we have through secretary kerrys efforts in the geneva process a pathway forward for the parties to work. And the biggest and most immediate challenge, i think particularly as it relates to the spillover is had refuge challenge and we will continue to work that. Continue to work that including perhaps opening our doors to more refuges . Not opening our doors but rather continuing decades long and generations long tradition of maintaining the doors open in this country as a source of refuge to to the worlds most vulnerable. That has been the case, i think admirably since our earliest days. In the first term an official told me once of the conversation with the president in which the president was asked how do you wish to be remembered context was Foreign Policy and the president answered he wanted to be remembe
And graphics and presentations. Perhaps you feel as i do, every time we have not won a Pulitzer Prize is a great injustice. Apparently you do. But we know the truth and the truth no matter how much or organizations and journalist cawe covet this and should be heartened by the experts we see in the finalist. Amid this year of celebrations, it is worth reflecting that the pulitzers represents standards. High standards in an era where we have seen standards erode or under frontal assault. When we see distortion and disception and lazy reporting, the pulitzers remind us week take a different route. In pointing us in that direction, the value of the pulitzer is greater than it has ever been. Today we have two sessions that will allow us to do what the pulitzers sask us to do; dig deep. The second is an interview by eugene robison. Winner for columns during a historic election. The first panel will address the oba administration. Joel becker will joe becker will be the questioning person. He
And so that is in progress. What what we do already, craig, is every two years, we have a three star flag officer review, if you will, the program, coordinated with our director of our Strategic Systems program, ssp. That Strategic Systems program are responsible for all operations, if you will, handling of of our Nuclear Weapons themselves. So, that has been going on. Theres a drum beat of that, as admiral richardson said, in his program. We have a similar drum beat. Now, we are going to take the results of our most recent, which is months old, we are going to take the results of the schlesinger report, you remember that from a few years ago. Were going to take the results of the admiral donald report, if you remember that also was a few years ago, look and see what was directed in that, review that, did we do what it said, how are we doing on that, and then were going to do an internal assessment coordinated with that. So, what has been looked at before . How is that going . Is it st