with the governments are being led by ustr. we give our policy of programmatic input to them and they lead. we will make sure one of the to be the hhs or ustr gets back spent thanks so much. appreciate your leadership. i yield back. >> thank you. mr. neal. >> thank you, mr. chairman. madam secretary, the opioid addiction issue is pronounced now across my congressional district, and there are all sorts of stories now that indicate a nationwide trend. and curious about the response of your department, the agencies that you overseas and also to ask specifically about the prescription drug misuse. >> yes. >> the evidence that you're coming across on that basis? >> so with regard to issue that you've raised thank you for raising them in our budget there is 99 million additional dollars to open an evidence-based strategy on the problem. let's just quickly touch on the problem. when we think about the problem as you articulated in your district across the country, opioid an overdose death have exceeded the number of deaths from car ac

conversations with the governments are being led by ustr.e give our policy and programatic input to them and they lead. we will make sure one of the two get back. >> i appreciate your leadership. i yield back. >> thank you. mr. neil >> thank you mr. chairman. madam secretary, the opioid addiction issue is pronounced now across my congressional district and there are all sorts of stories now that indicate a nationwide trend and i'm curious about the response of your department, the agencies that you oversee and also to ask specifically about description drug misuse. >> where he. >> the evidence that you're coming across on that basis. >> so with regard to the issue that you have raised thank you for raising in our budget there is $99 million additional dollars to implement an evidence-based strategy on the problem, let's just quickly touch on the problem. when we think about the problem as you articulated in your district across the country opioid and overdose deaths have exceeded the number of deaths from car accidents or any other accidenta

ustr would probably lead in any of those conversations that were in that space. so i think what i will do is coordinate with ustr, see that we get back to you together. because i think you probably know, those conversations with the governments are being led by ustr. we give our policy and programic input to them and they lead. we will make sure that one of the two, either hhs or ustr get back. >> thank you so much. i appreciate your leadership. i yield back. >> thank you. mr. neal? >> thank you, mr. chairman. madam secretary, the opioid addiction issue is pronounced now across my congressional district. and there are all sorts of stories about that indicate a nationwide trend. and curious about the response of your department, the agencies that you oversee and also to ask specifically about prescription drug misuse. >> yes. >> the evidence that you're coming across on that basis? >> so with regard to the issue that you have raised thank you for raising, in our budget there is $99 million additional dollars to implement an evidence-based strategy on the problem.

ustr simply does not believe in law enforcement. they didn't believe in law enforcement -- does the gentlelady have -- ms. slaughter: 30 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: additional 30 seconds. mr. doggett: ustr does not believe in law enforcement. it wouldn't enforce the law in guatemala in hondure asin prior labor agreements iner ue ignored the audit responsibility. we can do better than this and do better than a christmas wish list of multiple objectives that this president doesn't have to follow and this christmas wish list is being proposed to the next president who hasn't even been elected. open-ended ability to have more trade agreements that come at the cost of too many families. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. sessions: i love our friends who talk about jobs, yet it's this administration and the democrat policies that have taken american jobs and obamacare and climate change and the rules and regulations 175,000 pages of rules and regulations to inhibit growth and jo

ustr would lead in any of those conversations in that space so i think i will coordinate with ustr andet back to you. those conversation with the governments are being led by ustr. we give our policy input into them and they lead. we'll make sure one of the two get back to you. >> the so much. i yield back. >> thank you. mr. neil. >> thank you mr. chairman. madam secretary, the opiode addiction issue is pronounced now across my congressional district and all sorts of stories that indicate a nationwide trend and curious about the response of your department the agencies you oversee, and also to ask specifically about prescription drug misuse. >> yes. >> the evidence that you're coming across on that basis? >> so with regard to the issue that you have raised, thank you for raising in our budget there ills 99 million additional dollars to implement a evidence based strategy on the problem. when we think about the problem as you articulate in through district, across the country opiode and overdose deaths have exceeded the number of deaths from car accidents or any other accidental death.

and the ustr should be involved in all. it's my firm opinion that this is exactly what congress will meet to do with the executive branch to aggressively add row indicate for our children without the burtd of conflict of interest. i have learned in my many years of national business that a good cop negotiation strategy only works if there's a good cop in the room. asking state to be simultaneously the good cop and bad cop simply will not work. like the trade czar, the ustr is what what we really need say child abduction czar accountable directly to the congress and president. a u.s. children's representative office as a senior representative on any body that the president advises on child abduction policies. this children's right czar should be included in all summit or international meetings and and should have its own agenda that is not subject to the desires of any specific country at stake. this office would be staffed not by people who pass the foreign service exam with degrees in international relations in area studie

i negotiated a few of them when ustr would not do so. it's mentioned we democrats are responsible for the labor environmental standards and, very importantly, access to medicines that we worked out with difficulty also on may 10. so we democrats built the foundation and i don't -- and we don't want to see it eroded. language in bills isn't enough. it's what will happen in term it's of the implementation -- terms of the implementation of that language. i want to say just a few words about jobs. because it's often said, we've lost those jobs they've gone away, so therefore don't worry ? there are millions of jobs in this country that are in danger of being lost if we don't do trade right. that's why we need to do it right. and i think t.p.a. essentially puts t.p.p. on a fast track when it's on the wrong track. it's on the wrong track. there are negotiating objectives, they're so vegas they don't really -- vague they don't really mean anything. we put forth a very, very important alternative, a substitute bill that laid out instructions on

and the ustr should be involved in all. it's my firm opinion that this is exactly what congress will meet to do with the executive branch to aggressively add row indicate for our children without the burden of conflict of interest. i have learned in my many years of national business that a good cop negotiation strategy only works if there's a good cop in the room. asking state to be simultaneously the good cop and bad cop simply will not work. like the trade czar, the ustr is what what we really need say child abduction czar, accountable directly to the congress and president. a u.s. children's representative office as a senior representative on any body that the president advises on child abduction policies. this children's right czar should be included in all summit or international meetings and and should have its own agenda that is not subject to the desires of any specific country at stake. this office would be staffed not by people who pass the foreign service exam with degrees in international relations in area stud

section 1601 of the 1988 legislation codified and expanded the ustr responsibility. in in so doing the legislation reinforce the executive partnership for the conduct of us trade policy. the legislation required that the us have been a senior representative on anybody that the president establishes to advise on overall economic policies and they should be included in all summits. it is my firm opinion this is exactly what congress will need to do we expect for the executive branch develop the capacity to aggressively advocate for children. i have learned in my many years of international business that i get caught negotiation strategy only works if it's about in the room. as as the state to be simultaneously good and bad simply will not work. like the trades are the ustr, what we really need is a child abductions are outside the purview of the state department accountable directly to congress and the president. the us children's representative office as the senior representative on anybody that the president establishes to advise on child budget policies. this childr

ustr simply does not believe in law enforcement. they didn't believe in law enforcement -- does the gentlelady have -- ms. slaughter: 30 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: additional 30 seconds. mr. doggett: ustr does not believe in law enforcement. it wouldn't enforce the law in guatemala in hondure asin prior labor agreements iner ue ignored the audit responsibility. we can do better than this and do better than a christmas wish list of multiple objectives that this president doesn't have to follow and this christmas wish list is being proposed to the next president who hasn't even been elected. open-ended ability to have more trade agreements that come at the cost of too many families. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. sessions: i love our friends who talk about jobs, yet it's this administration and the democrat policies that have taken american jobs and obamacare and climate change and the rules and regulations 175,000 pages of rules and regulations to inhibit growth and jo

i think what i'll do is coordinate with ustr so we get back to you together.s with the governments are being led by ustr. we give our policy and problematic input to them. we'll make sure one of the two get back. >> thanks so much. appreciate your leadership. i yield back. . >> thank you. mr. neil. >> thank you, mr. chairman. madam secretary, the opioid addiction issue is pronounced now across my congressional district. there are all sorts of stories now that indicate a nationwide trend. curious about the response of your department, the agencies that you oversee and also to ask specifically about the prescription drug misuse, the evidence you are coming across on that bases? >> thank you for raising that. in our budget there is $99 million additional dollars. when we think about the problem as you articulated in your district overdose deaths have exceeded deaths from car accidents or any accidental death. in 2012 there were 259 million prescriptions for opioids. >> would you say that again? >> over 250 million prescriptions in 2012 or opioids. that's how many

congress should not give what would be essentially a blank check to ustr on key outstanding issues in the t.p.p. negotiations. with this t.p.a., you are saying fine to no meaningful currency provision. you are saying fine to giving private investors in growing numbers the ability to choose an unregulated arbitration panel instead of a well established judicial system in order to overturn local or national health environmental regulations. with this t.p.a., you cannot be confident. vietnam and mexico would adhere to meaningful labor standards. with this t.p.a., you can't be confident that japan will open its market at long last to our cars or agricultural products. and with this t.p.a., you can't be confident that there will be access to life saving medicines. despite a bottom barredment of rhetoric. instead of the approach that we laid out in a substitute that we have not even be allowed to consider in the committee or in this house the reat that this t.p.a. will not put congress in the driver seat, but the back seat. for t.p.p. and for six years, important negotiations with europe an

and at one point when ustr would not negotiate the trade agreement mr. rangel and i actually did the negotiating, i don't suggest that should be the usual practice. as i look back on our debate on t.p.a., i think it's essentially been a prelude, a prelude to more vigorous debate about the contents of t.p.p. i think this debate has stirred the pot. and now it's important that this congress that this congress impact the ingredients in the pot. and that we do so while the pot -- while the ingredients are being cooked. and not simply afterwards. because these ingredients affect the lives of american businesses and american workers and working families. and when we get it wrong, as sometimes has been true, people get hurt and millions of jobs are lost. so i think we now have to rededicate ourselves as these negotiations proceed, to be an active partner and insist that we be an active partner that we know what's going on and that we're able to discuss with the public what is going on. i think that's where we are today. and within that spirit, i urge that democ

usually the reason that ustr fails is it really doesn't try. it doesn't seem to have a belief in law enforcement when it comes to worker and environmental abuse. and guatemala, it took it eight years to even bring a dispute. in honduras, it took nearly four years to issue another bureaucratic report. in peru, we cannot get the audit that it was responsible for obtaining. does the gentleman have another 15 seconds? mr. mcgovern? the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. mcgovern: i yield the gentleman another 15 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for 15 seconds. mr. doggett: you know, asleep at the wheel is a great texas swing band but it is a horrible philosophy for trade law enforcement. reject this rule. help us get a better trade policy, protect american families, advance our economy. we can do better than this by rejecting this rule. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from massachusetts reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. sessions: mr. sp

i negotiated a few of them when ustr would not do so. it's mentioned we democrats are responsible for the labor environmental standards and, very importantly, access to medicines that we worked out with difficulty also on may 10. so we democrats built the foundation and i don't -- and we don't want to see it eroded. language in bills isn't enough. it's what will happen in term it's of the implementation -- terms of the implementation of that language. i want to say just a few words about jobs. because it's often said, we've lost those jobs they've gone away, so therefore don't worry ? there are millions of jobs in this country that are in danger of being lost if we don't do trade right. that's why we need to do it right. and i think t.p.a. essentially puts t.p.p. on a fast track when it's on the wrong track. it's on the wrong track. there are negotiating objectives, they're so vegas they don't really -- vague they don't really mean anything. we put forth a very, very important alternative, a substitute bill that laid out instructions on

and while the environmental provisions have been secreted away from the public, we do know that ustr does not believe in environmental law enforcement. is it unreasonable to stop and say, what did those who advocate for clean water and clean air and conservation of our resources, what did they think about this trade deal? i believe they support fair trade. they recognize that it raises all votes but unfair trade sinks too many of them. they are capsized by competing with those who paid an average minimum wage of 60 cents an hour and whose only worker organization is the communist party in vietnam. i believe our workers deserve respect. this bill asks american businesses to go out and compete with countries that mistreat their workers, that pollute the air and water and destroy their natural resources. and those that inflate -- adjust their currency, manipulate in ways that are unfair. railroading this bill through today will deny any opportunity which we have struggled so long for so many months to try to achieve to make this a better right track bill. the fast trackers have rejected

negotiating objectives are so vague they are meaningless and to hold them up is something that holds ustr to action is simply a mirage. instead of passing this bill, which gives a blank check to the administration to finish up t.p.p. negotiations where they are now and leaves congress with only an up or down vote at the end, we should be using our leverage to impact the negotiations. this bill does not do that. we in congress, despite all the rhetoric, all the rhetoric, we in congress will be in the backseat not in the falsely claimed driver seat. this is what this is all about not protectionism versus free trade, not reflective opposition as sometimes claimed to expand a trade. i've worked for expanded trade. quite the opposite. i want a t.p.p. that is worthy of broad bipartisan support. as to t.a.a., proponents of t.p.a. they're the ones who linked the two together in a single bill. t.a.a. should not be a bargaining chip to get a deeply flawed t.p.a. across the finished line and that's how this has been set up. this t.p.a. should stand on its own feet. even in its best form t.a.a. was a

if i had my magic machine here, i could probably go to the ustr and get the trade deficit, but no, i't. i know we have a trade deficit and i know some are saying this will shake the deficit over time. -- will shrink the deficit over time. host: the deficit decreased from 50.6 billion in march to 48.9 billion in april. there is some general numbers. carol in -- a democrat. caller: i just wanted to tell the people that in north carolina, there is a little area that used to be a milltown -- mill town. and when ronald reagan came in with the trade deal, it became a ghost town. an example of what is going on is just recently i ordered a package and it arrived and they put it in an area where it weighed a lot of weight and it was unmovable. so i tried calling ups to let them know they needed to come back, and i got people in taiwan that could hardly speak english. so what we need to do is everybody that votes for this trade deal, we ought to trade them to taiwan. host: all right, carol. colorado, and independent. hi, ernie. caller: good morning. thank you for taking my call. my question is

negotiating objectives are so vague they are meaningless and to hold them up is something that holds ustr action is simply a mirage. instead of passing this bill, which gives a blank check to the administration to finish up t.p.p. negotiations where they are now and leaves congress with only an up or down vote at the end, we should be using our leverage to impact the negotiations. this bill does not do that. we in congress, despite all the rhetoric, all the rhetoric, we in congress will be in the backseat not in the falsely claimed driver seat. this is what this is all about not protectionism versus free trade, not reflective opposition as sometimes claimed to expand a trade. i've worked for expanded trade. quite the opposite. i want a t.p.p. that is worthy of broad bipartisan support. as to t.a.a., proponents of t.p.a. they're the ones who linked the two together in a single bill. t.a.a. should not be a bargaining chip to get a deeply flawed t.p.a. across the finished line and that's how this has been set up. this t.p.a. should stand on its own feet. even in its best form t.a.a. was a mo

members of congress will once again at any time be able to request and receive a briefing from the ustr, u.s. trade representative, on the current status of ongoing trade negotiations. in other words mr. president t.p.a. gives congress a much stronger say in the substance of our country's trade negotiations and provides mechanisms to hold the administration far more accountable. right now the obama administration is negotiating trade agreement with ad hoc and informal direction from congress. that will change once congress renews t.p.a. still, i know that there are some who believe that by agreeing not to allow amendments or filibusters of trade agreements, congress is giving up most of its power to influence trade agreements on the back end once an agreement is actually signed. again let me be clear. under t.p.a., congress at all times -- all times -- maintains the ultimate authority over a trade agreement. the power to reject it entirely. t.p.a. does not guarantee the passage of any trade agreement now or in the future. nor does it, as some have argued reduce votes in congress to a --