Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.), who sought to reinstate limits on using federal funds for needle exchange programs, said during floor debate that Congress should vote against having “the taxpayers be heroin dealers.”
He said some studies have shown that such programs sustain intravenous drug use.
“I believe that it is not only practically wrong for us to provide the funds through taxpayer funds to a program that is not only practically not effective in not stopping HIV,” Souder said. “It is, I believe, morally and ethically wrong to ask the taxpayers to, in effect, provide the very needles that keep people addicted to heroin.”
But Rep. José Serrano (D-N.Y.), who led the committee that dropped the limitations, said needle exchange programs are “a very sensible medical approach to a very serious” social and medical issue.
“In fact, every needle exchange program that I am familiar with, including the one that exists in my congressional district, encourages people to seek treatment, demands in many cases that you seek treatment,” he said. “All it says is that while you are a drug addict, while you are trying to get off that addiction, that you not spread the HIV virus by sharing needles.”
Rep. David Obey (D-Wis.) blasted Souder for unnecessarily meddling in District affairs.
“You know, I came here to be a member of the United States Congress,” he said. “I didn’t come here to be a member of the D.C. City Council.”
Obey said for Congress to control the District in such ways was “the height of arrogance,” and that Souder should stop interfering.
“If you want to dictate to communities, would you dare go home and dictate to your own hometown what the city council ought to do?” Obey said. “Would you say that because we provide federal money to your city council that somehow we should decide what their policy ought to be on medical matters? I don’t think so.”
"Height of arrogance," eh? Ouch.
