Washington, DC -- U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made the following comment regarding the Adair County pipeline explosion:
“My thoughts are with the people of Adair County and I thank the first responders who worked throughout the night keeping the residents safe. I have been in contact with local officials and appreciate their keeping me informed on the latest developments.”
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Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made the following comment regarding Senate passage of a measure to restore benefits to military retirees:
“As a long-time supporter of benefits for our servicemembers, veterans, military retirees and their families, I am pleased the Senate approved the legislation which restores the full annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to all current military retirees, including those in Kentucky. Our country’s servicemembers volunteered to serve their nation and they are entitled to the benefits they were promised.”
Senator McConnell opposed the reduction in this military retiree benefit—which was included in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013—and earlier this year, offered an amendment on the Senate floor that would have restored the full COLA for all military retirees who would have seen the benefit reduced. Unfortunately, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid blocked this and other proposals to restore the full COLA which Senator McConnell cosponsored, including the “Keeping our Promise to our Military Heroes Act.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Senators Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) wrote to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Margaret Hamburg today to hold the agency accountable for decisions it makes that have the potential to negatively affect prescription drug overdose rates, misuse, abuse, and diversion.
In 2010, drug overdose was the leading cause of injury-related death in the United States, largely driven by opioids. The FDA has an important role to play in approving safe and effective prescription drugs, including opiates. The Senators requested information on the recent approval of a powerful extended-release, pure hydrocodone product that has the potential to worsen the drug abuse epidemic.
In the letter to Commissioner Hamburg, the Senators wrote: “We believe the approval of pure hydrocodone products without methods to prevent abuse, misuse, and diversion, including abuse-deterrent formulations, poses a significant danger to our constituents, as it could worsen the drug abuse epidemic in our country.” They went on to say, “We would like to know what safeguards FDA mandated for the product and we… look forward to hearing about your systematic approach to balancing the risks and benefits associated with access to innovative pain medication and any associated potential abuse, misuse, and diversion.”
The text of the letter is HERE.