-Today, Republicans voted on a motion
to start debate about repealing Obamacare,
which could make one of the greatest challenges
this country faces, the opioid crisis,
more difficult to deal with.
It's an epidemic that affects millions of Americans
regardless of race, religion, or socioeconomic status,
and it's an issue that Donald Trump
promised his voters he would focus on
when he became president.
So we decided to take a break from the breaking news
to see how that's going.
It's time for "The Check In."
♪♪
[ Ding! Ding! ]
While campaigning in New Hampshire,
one of the hardest-hit states by prescription-painkiller abuse,
then candidate Trump promised he would devote
additional resources to fighting opioid addiction.
But when asked what his plan was for combating the issue,
he couldn't help but make it all about himself.
-What is your view on how we get more treatment facilities
in this state and other states?
-Well, you do have to have that
and, you know, it's amazing,
I've gotten -- as you know, I'm up here a lot,
in fact, from here I go and make a speech at a certain place
and we're going to have a lot of fun,
and I'm in New Hampshire so much.
I'm doing great in New Hampshire.
I'm leading in the polls by a lot,
and we're having a lot of fun here
and I've gotten to know the people.
I have a lot of friends.
-You know, for a guy who doesn't seem very athletic,
he sure turns into Neo when he doesn't like a question.
To clarify his response to the opioid crisis is,
"I have friends, and we have a lot of fun."
That's the response a teenager would give
if his parents caught him using opioids.
"What's happening to you, Kevin?"
"I have friends, and we have a lot of fun!"
So if you have to make a point
to tell people you have so many friends,
it's probably safe to assume you don't have that many.
But actually Trump does have one.
-We're fortunate to have Governor Chris Christie with us,
a friend of mine, a great friend of mine.
A very, very early endorser.
In fact, an immediate endorser,
once he got out of the race.
[ Light laughter ]
He liked himself more than he liked me.
But other than that...
[ Laughter ]
-[ Laughs ] "Yes, sir. Yes, sir, I am your friend, sir.
Sir, I will see you at the bro-down, sir."
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie
was right by Trump's side there,
because the president was hosting a listening session
on opioid abuse,
and he appointed Christie
to lead a bipartisan opioid commission
to try to come up with solutions
to curb prescription-painkiller abuse
and develop better plans for treatment.
And Chris Christie is the perfect choice
to lead a bipartisan commission,
because if there's one issue of bipartisan agreement right now,
it's that everyone, regardless of party,
hates Chris Christie.
-This is a governor who has the lowest approval rating,
not just of any governor in recent memory
here in the state, but across the country,
hovering at just 15%.
-15%.
Chris Christie is as popular with voters
as salad is with Chris Christie.
[ Laughter ]
So how is he doing leading the commission?
-President Donald Trump's commission
aimed at fighting opioid abuse
and devising a strategy to provide treatment
to those addicted will miss, for the second time,
its deadline to file an interim report
to the president.
-Even worse, experts point out
that the administration's current priorities,
which include an emphasis on enforcement over treatment
are not going to help turn the epidemic around.
And the reason law enforcement can't solve the problem alone
is because, far too often, opioid addiction begins legally
with doctors prescribing strong painkillers
and pharmaceutical companies endorsing the drugs
because they stand to benefit from the sales of them.
And this is important because, when mentioning drug abuse,
Trump almost always finds a way to blame it on the border
and illegal drugs coming from Mexico.
And that is a very real problem.
But in this case, the pills are coming from inside the house.
For example, West Virginia has one of the highest
overdose rates in the country, and this might help explain why.
-This is Kermit, West Virginia.
Population just under 400.
And this was the Save-Rite Pharmacy in Kermit,
where at least 9 million opioid painkillers
were shipped in just two years.
9 million.
That's the equivalent of over 22,000 pills
for every person in town.
-22,000 pills for each person in town.
Can you imagine the size of their pill-a-day organizers?
And when the supply to legal pharmaceuticals is cut off,
people who are now addicted turn to illegal drugs like heroin,
which is why we have a responsibility
to value treatment over law enforcement.
Trump should look at it this way,
he's never done heroin,
but if they outlawed KFC, he might.
"This is the last of the chicken, sir."
"Oh, my God, tie me off!"
[ Laughter ]
Just yesterday Trump defended his health care bill
and what it would do to address the opioid crisis specifically.
-It devotes substantial resources
to fight the opioid --
and this is a tremendous problem --
the opioid epidemic.
$45 billion is being put in.
So that the people of many states,
like New Hampshire, Ohio, and so many others
that have such a big problem,
can be helped and helped greatly.
-$45 billion sounds like a lot of money,
but don't be fooled, because according to reports,
that number is drastically short of what would be needed
to make up for the legislation's deep cuts to Medicaid
which has provided treatment
for hundreds of thousands of people.
So the money he's giving
is less than the money he's taking away.
Basically, Trump is saying,
"We're going to give you bigger portions,
but we're also going to burn down the restaurant."
And it's not just the health care plan.
Trump's budget proposal would slash funding
for drug treatment services,
and according to New Hampshire Senators
Jeann Shaheen and Maggie Hassan,
Trump's opioid commission has also delayed the implementation
of existing recommendations from health experts
that could save lives now if implemented.
We even reached out to New Hampshire Senator Shaheen's office
to see if, at the very least, any additional money
has been given to the state as was promised.
As of this taping, we were told that New Hampshire
has not received any additional funding
from the Trump administration to tackle the opioid epidemic,
so what's Trump been so busy doing instead?
♪♪
[ Applause ]
[ Horn honks ]
-Look at that. -Oh!
-Look at that. -Ohh!
♪♪
-Man, what is this? The Make-A-Wish presidency?
"I want to be a fireman, a cowboy,
a golfman, and a sword."
"And I'm sorry, are you sick?"
"I'm sick of working."
At this point, Trump's been in more fire trucks
than a Dalmatian.
And some advocates say
that Trump is passing up opportunities
to crack down on the pharmaceutical industry,
which reports said fueled the prescription opioid epidemic.
Perhaps making matters worse,
Trump chose Dr. Scott Gottlieb,
a former federal official with financial ties
to the pharmaceutical companies
to run the Food and Drug Administration,
which approves the use of opioids,
among other things. According to reports,
Gottlieb has funded several health care start-ups
and has received millions of dollars
for his work with large pharmaceutical companies.
He now has to recuse himself for at least one year
for any FDA decisions involving his former clients,
which seems to be the M.O. of this administration.
Gottlieb recusing himself from some FDA decisions,
Jeff Sessions recusing himself from the Russian investigation,
and Melania recusing herself
from any and all physical contact.
♪♪
[ Laughter ]
[ Cheers and applause ]
And to be fair to Trump,
this didn't happen on his watch.
But he is now president of a country
that consumes about 80% of the global opioid supply
and 99% of the world's hydrocodone,
a powerful painkiller.
Continuing to do nothing is dangerous and irresponsible.
This is a crisis that affects our families and our friends,
and that should matter to Trump, because, as we all know...
-I have a lot of friends.
This has been "The Check In."
[ Cheers and applause ]
[ Ding! Ding! ]
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