JIM HENDRICKS: Coalition of attorneys general ask manufactuerers for documents on opioids

After announcing Monday that Georgia had joined a coalition of 41 states asking drug manufacturers to examine financial incentives that may be in place for opioid prescriptions, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr says the group of attorneys general is seeking documents and information to determine whether the companies engaged in unlawful practices.

Carr said the information would enable the state attorneys to determine whether manufacturers used unlawful practices in marketing, selling and distributing opioids.

“Between 1999 and 2015, more than 560,000 people in this country died due to drug overdoses – a death toll larger than the entire population of the city of Atlanta,” Carr said. “Opioids are the prime contributor to this national emergency, and we are prepared to communicate with all industries to review, investigate and eliminate any practices that may have led to this epidemic.

“We owe it to Georgians to get to the bottom of this crisis, and we look forward to learning more on their behalf.”

Carr said the attorneys general served investigative subpoenas for documents and information to Endo, Janssen, Teva/Cephalon, Allergan and their related entities, and a supplemental Civil Investigative Demand to Purdue Pharma.

Perdue on the UN

U.S. Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., said he liked what he heard from President Trump in the president’s address to the United Nations.

“American leadership is needed now, more than ever,” Perdue said. “The world is more dangerous than any time in my lifetime, and I am glad to see President Trump and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley aggressively taking on these challenges at the United Nations to get better results.

“President Trump was very clear that improving accountability and effectiveness at the United Nations is a top priority. For too long, the UN’s budget process has lacked transparency, and the organization has relied too heavily on U.S. contributions.”

Perdue said the president “sent the message that all sovereign nations must come together in a united effort to counter North Korea’s reckless behavior and the growing threats from Iran’s continued support of terrorist groups and human rights abuses.”

Right Direction

Sen. Perdue, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., aid the 89-8 vote to approve passage of the annual defense spending bill was a step in the right direction.

Isakson’s office said that the bill authorizes funding for the base defense budget for FY 2018 and seeks to ensure the military has the resources it needs to continue the critical support it has provided states in the aftermath of natural disasters, including recent hurricane recovery efforts.

The National Defense Authorization Act continues support for the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) mission based out of Georgia and allows Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta to enter into private and commercial use agreements. It also provides for the critical A-10 Thunderbolt II mission based out of Moody Air Force Base in Valdosta and Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins.

Isakson said the legislation “helps us improve and increase military readiness by directing funding where it’s needed and making a bigger investment in our armed forces. I thank Chairman (John) McCain and Ranking Member (Harry) Reed for their tireless efforts on this measure to ensure our men and women in uniform have the resources needed to confront global threats.

“We must continue to take seriously the threats to our liberty by posed by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, North Korea, the Taliban and Russia. I’m also pleased that we are giving our men and women in uniform who are serving our nation a pay raise.”

Perdue said the military needs stronger congressional support. He said he voted to prioritize troop readiness, expedite an audit of the Department of Defense, and increase service member pay in the NDAA, which included 30 of his priorities.

“Over the last 30 years, Washington has disinvested in our military, and we are seeing the dangerous impact of this decision,” Perdue said. “This year’s defense bill is a step in the right direction, but our military needs more support from Congress. Sixteen years at war, six years of arbitrary defense budget cuts, and Congress’ broken budget process have all led us to this point.

“Today, every dime we spend on our military, the Department of Veterans Affairs and domestic discretionary programs is borrowed. This culmination of tragic disinvestment has created a situation where most of our major military platforms are approaching the end of their life, and many are already past this point. With $20 trillion of debt today, the challenge is how do we rebuild the military and re-establish readiness?”

USDA chief impressed

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue on Tuesday gave high marks to Steve Censky and Ted McKinney in their joint appearance before the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Trump nominated Censky to be deputy secretary of agriculture and McKinney to be the first undersecretary for trade and foreign agricultural affairs.

The nominees must be approved by the Senate before working at USDA. Perdue said he hopes they’ll receive swift confirmation.

“Today, we saw two nominees who are experienced, prepared, and capable of providing the steady leadership we need at USDA, and we can’t wait to get them on board,” Perdue said. “We have accomplished a great deal in a short amount of time in our department, but we need Steve Censky and Ted McKinney to join the team as we face serious challenges in agriculture in the coming months and years.”

The secretary said Censky is needed to help navigate the aftermath of hurricanes Irma and Harvey, as well as the wildfires that are continuing to blaze. He said Censky’s input would be “invaluable” for Congress’ work on the 2018 farm bill.

McKinney, he said, is needed to be an “unapologetic advocate of American agriculture as we expand U.S. access to international markets. He will be the one who wakes up every morning asking where he can sell more American products to foreign consumers.”