Tonko, announces relaunch of Addiction, Treatment, and Recovery Caucus
Rep. Paul Tonko (NY-20) and Rep. Dave Joyce (OH-14) recently announced the relaunch of the Addiction, Treatment, and Recovery Caucus for the 118th Congress.
The Congressmen will serve as co-chairs of the Caucus, which is a bipartisan group of legislators committed to advancing bipartisan solutions to the country’s multifaceted addiction crisis.
“There isn’t a community in our nation that has not been touched by the overdose epidemic,” Tonko said in a press release. “While I am deeply proud of the strides we’ve made to address the disease of addiction with laws like my Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act, far more work lies ahead. It is my hope that the ATR Caucus will continue to serve as a forum to convene Members who are serious about eliminating barriers to treatment, and saving lives.
“I’m grateful to have a strong partner in Rep. Joyce as we work to put a stop to this crisis and support our loved ones and our communities.”
“The ongoing opioid epidemic continues to wreak havoc in communities throughout Ohio and our country. All of us in Congress have a solemn responsibility to do more to support Americans suffering from addiction, and to increase access to proven forms of treatment,” Joyce added in the release. “I am proud to be a co-chair of the Addiction, Treatment, and Recovery Caucus this Congress alongside my colleague Rep. Tonko.
“I look forward to facilitating the challenging but necessary conversations in Washington to ensure we find bipartisan solutions that expand access to treatment and destigmatize addiction for Americans.”
The Addiction, Treatment, and Recovery Caucus is the first and longest-running Congressional caucus that recognizes addiction as a disease. Next year they will celebrate 20 years of Members coming together in a bipartisan fashion to address the stigma of addiction and work together to save lives.
At a time when the United States is facing an unprecedented overdose crisis, coupled with a nationwide shortage of healthcare professionals, Representatives Joyce and Tonko intend to use the Caucus as a forum for bipartisan action to support communities across the United States and drive commonsense solutions to the problems underpinning the crisis.
The Addiction, Treatment, and Recovery Caucus is made up of more than 50 Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle. This Congress, the Caucus will serve as a clearinghouse for legislation aimed at expanding access to treatment for addiction, supporting Americans recovering from the illness, and bolstering the health workforce on the frontlines of the addiction crisis.
The Caucus has long been dedicated to education and to raising awareness among lawmakers about addiction with a strong focus on increasing legislative support for expanding access to prevention, treatment, and recovery services.