End Substance Use Disorder Stands with Rep. Paul Tonko and Rep. Mike Turner on President’s Call to Advance Treatment Legislation

Today, Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY) and Rep. Mike Turner (R-NH) renewed their call for Congress to pass the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment (MAT) Act. President Biden called for Congress to act on the policy underlying the MAT Act in his State of the Union address. The bipartisan legislation will remove federal red tape to increase access to treatment, prevent overdoses, and reduce stigma. The following statements were made in support of the legislation:

“During yesterday’s State of the Union address, President Biden called for strong, bipartisan action in Congress to eliminate outdated barriers preventing health professionals from prescribing lifesaving addiction treatments,” Congressman Tonko said. “Our Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act directly addresses the President’s call by removing the needless red tape for buprenorphine and opening the doors of access to this lifesaving medication. I urge my colleagues and all of America’s champions for addiction treatment and recovery to take up our bipartisan call and help us push to deliver this legislation into law.”

“With over 75,000 opioid overdose deaths reported in America in FY21, granting better treatments for those addicted to opioids should be a top priority for every elected official,” said Rep. Turner. “Last night, the President called for meaningful action to address the disparity in treatments for those addicted to opioids. Thus, it is due time to pass the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment (MAT) Act so we can provide physicians access to therapeutics like buprenorphine.”

“As a sister who lost my little brother to an overdose, I know firsthand how critical it is that families have access to treatment that can help our loved ones heal,” said Erin Schanning, president of End Substance Use Disorder, a national, non-partisan campaign committed to ending the overdose crisis. “Sadly, too many of our loved ones do not know about or have access to the most effective treatments for substance use disorder due to outdated federal laws that prevent health care providers from prescribing life-saving care. We are proud to stand with President Biden and the over 400 organizations across the country that have called for Congress to remove these unnecessary barriers to recovery. We are now looking to Congress to pass the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act, a bipartisan, common-sense solution that will prevent overdoses, increase access to treatment, and reduce stigma. We are deeply grateful to Rep. Tonko and Rep. Turner for their steadfast leadership to protect our children, parents, brothers, and sisters from overdoses and to ensure that we all have the care we need to be well.”

The MAT Act is among the most broadly supported overdose prevention bills this session. A majority of the U.S. House of Representatives - Democrats and Republicans alike - have co-sponsored the legislation. And, more than 425 organizations from the across the country have called for Congress to pass this solution that can save thousands of lives from overdoses every year.

Learn more about the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act here.