Congresswoman Madeleine Dean of Glenside testified during the House Appropriations Committee hearing on Wednesday, May 14 to push back against cuts to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
During her testimony, she confronted Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of the Health & Human Services department, regarding a written statement he provided prior to the hearing.
“We have to really keep a clear line here between your proposal for 2026 and what is going on right now against the legislation that we have passed and that has been signed into law,” she said. “I want to talk about the substance. In this case, something that is very personal to me is the issue of addiction and mental health.”
She went on to acknowledge Kennedy’s and her own family’s battles with substance abuse.
“I know you have been honest about your own recovery, your own struggle with addiction. In my family, my middle son Harry is now 12.5 years in recovery from opioid addiction. It was a long road,” she said.
In April, Kennedy told a personal story of his heroin addiction, spiritual awakening and recovery at a conference in Nashville. He called addiction “a source of misery, but also a symptom of misery” during a speech that mentioned God more than 20 times, according to PBS.
“Every addict feels that way in one way or another — that they have to fix what’s wrong with them, and the only thing that works are drugs. And so threats that you might die, that you’re going to ruin your life are completely meaningless,” he said.
The full testimony is below:
In related news, Dean also commented on former President Joe Biden’s recent prostate cancer diagnosis, which has reportedly spread to his bones.
According to NPR, prostate cancer has an overall five-year survival rate of 97%, though that number is 37% in cases where the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
Dr. Ben Davies, a professor of urology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, told NPR’s Morning Edition that Biden “has a very bad version of it, probably the worst version you can get.”
From her post:
Joe Biden is a man of faith and fight.
For more than 50 years, President Biden has faithfully served our country. Through immeasurable loss, he has never wavered in the fight to protect the vulnerable, speak truth to power, and stand up for what is right.
Today — as we celebrate the inaugural mass of Pope Leo XIV — President Biden is in my prayers, and the prayers of millions around the world.
May he have a speedy recovery. And may God protect and keep him and his family.
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Screengrab: Forbes via Youtube