This week, the House continues its opioid push with three separate hearings on addressing the ongoing epidemic. On Wednesday, the Energy & Commerce Committee will do its first of two markups of legislation with the second markup scheduled for May 17th. While the House is on track to pass some package of legislation by Memorial Day, its prospects in the Senate are less certain.

For one, the Senate HELP opioid package is far narrower than the slate of bills the House is considering. Senate Democrats also have considerable leverage in the types of proposals which can pass, meaning the process could grind to a crawl should a Senate package move to full floor consideration with amendments and debate. And we are still waiting on the Finance Committee. The further this debate pushes into summer, the harder it becomes to find consensus on a deal.