U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today in a U.S. Senate Finance Committee hearing pressed Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Alex Azar for solutions on combatting Montana’s growing meth epidemic. Daines also demanded answers on recent cases of abuse in the Indian Health Service (IHS).
In the hearing, Daines discussed his recent trip to Rimrock Facility in Billings, where he saw firsthand Montana’s growing meth epidemic and the impact it has on Montana moms and families.
Click HERE to download.
“In Montana, we’re facing a meth crisis, and it’s devastating our families and communities… How is HHS prioritizing the meth crisis, and how can we partner together to fight the meth epidemic in Montana,” Daines stressed.
Daines also discussed former IHS pediatrician Stanley Patrick Weber – a convicted child molester who abused children for decades, including on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana.
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“Mr. Weber has destroyed the lives of the children he abused… including at the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana… how will you ensure that all allegations against Indian Health Service employees are thoroughly investigated, so that monsters like Mr. Weber are handled appropriately,” Daines asked.
To download Daines’ full remarks at the hearing, click HERE.
Background:
In early February, Daines visited the Rimrock Foundation in Billings to see firsthand the growing issue of meth abuse in Montana.
Last year, Dianes’ bill, the Child Protection and Family Support Act to allow moms to stay together with their babies while undergoing meth abuse treatment, was signed into law.
Daines also recently sent a letter to the acting director of IHS demanding accountability from the agency for its unacceptable handling of Stanley Patrick Weber.
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