Congressman Rogers Announced Historic Reduction of Drug Overdose Deaths & Welcomed U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi and Other Federal Leaders to National Drug Summit

NASHVILLE, TN – The 2025 Rx and Illicit Drug Summit was held in Nashville, Tennessee, drawing 3,000 attendees from across the country with representatives from the federal, state and local levels. U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers (KY-05), Dean of the House, cofounded the summit with Operation UNITE 14 years ago, to raise awareness about the nation’s deadly drug crisis, and to generate effective changes in policy and legislation to help save lives through law enforcement, treatment and education.

Congressman Rogers kicked off the annual summit with big news from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“The CDC recently reported a historic reduction in drug overdose deaths with a nearly 30-percent decline in fatalities nationwide. It is the fewest overdose deaths that we’ve seen since the epidemic spiked during the COVID pandemic, and I’m thankful to say that Kentucky is leading the way,” said Congressman Rogers. “The reduction is a result of more law enforcement resources, more treatment and recovery options, more access to the overdose-reversal drug naloxone, and investments in education, like the Drug Enforcement Agency’s ‘One Pill Can Kill’ fentanyl awareness campaign. When you combine those investments with a secure border, I’m confident that we will continue to see more lives saved in the future.”

The summit featured keynote remarks from U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the new Director of the National Institutes of Health Dr. Jay Battacharya, and Dr. Nora Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Congressman Rogers presented Dr. Volkow with the Beacon of Hope Award for her cutting-edge scientific research on the brain and addiction.

On Wednesday, Congressman Rogers had a fireside chat on stage with U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi, who first attended the conference in 2013 when she was Florida’s Attorney General. Since being named the nation’s Chief Law Enforcement Officer, she has announced a federal drug bust by the U.S. Coast Guard resulting in a half billion dollars of cocaine, as well as the arrests of 29 Mexican cartel members, including a kingpin who had been on the DEA’s top ten list for four decades for killing DEA Agent Kiki Camarena in the 1980s.

“After his father was tortured and killed, his mother gave her son - who is now the judge - her husband’s handcuffs from DEA. And guess who was hand-cuffed with his father’s handcuffs? It may take a while sometimes, but they are getting to see justice,” said Attorney General Bondi. “President Trump gave us a clear directive to make America safe again, so we are getting back to the basics. Chairman Rogers, thank you for what you are doing throughout our country to fight for victims of crime, and all of you here at the summit.”

“Each one of you have been touched by this disease, and my family is no exception. I lost my brother, who was my closest friend, to this disease.” said Sec. Kennedy, who also shared his own journey of recovery, and the loss of other family members to drug-related deaths. “We have an addiction and overdose crisis in this country. We lost double the number of people last year to this crisis than we lost in the Vietnam War. We need to pay more attention to this crisis, which is a national security threat and a threat to everything that we love about our country.”

Congressman Rogers was joined by some of his congressional colleagues on Tuesday for a federal discussion, including Congressmen Brett Guthrie (KY-02), James Comer (KY-01), Tony Gonzales (TX-23), and Andrew Clyde (GA-09). They discussed the importance of securing America’s borders, shutting down dangerous drug cartels, creating more access to effective treatment and recovery options, and improving education and prevention efforts in every community.

“A one-quarter reduction in overdose deaths is not only a testament to the work of everyone at this summit – it’s a generational transformation taking place on our watch. We lost nearly an entire generation to drug overdose deaths nationwide in the early 2000s, and today, we can celebrate a generation of prevention and recovery,” said Congressman Rogers.

Karen Kelly, Chief of Staff for Congressman Rogers, moderated the event. She was the founding President and CEO of Operation UNITE, a nonprofit organization created by Congressman Rogers in 2003 to first combat the drug abuse crisis in Kentucky’s Appalachian region, establishing the model of success now used at the national level.

Each congressional panelist shared details about challenges in their home districts, successful changes in bipartisan policy and legislation, and the drive behind their continued life-saving efforts.

“One of the major factors leading to our historic reduction in drug overdose deaths, is the broad access to naloxone. It is a life-saving drug. I know it doesn’t answer all our problems, but it has saved countless lives on the spot during active overdoses in Kentucky and across the country,” said Rep. Guthrie, Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. “We also know that fentanyl substances are being made in China and then trafficked across our borders and into our communities, and that’s why we need to support President Trump’s effective work to secure our borders. We are also working to get the HALT Fentanyl Act across the finish line to permanently extend the Schedule I classification for fentanyl-related substances.”

“Fentanyl is the deadliest drug that we have ever seen in America, so we need to ensure that our law enforcement agencies have the tools they need to detect drugs at the border and stop them from coming into our communities. President Trump nearly secured our borders overnight, putting drug cartels on the run, so we need to support his efforts at the border,” said Rep. Comer, Chairman of the House Oversight Committee. “We have also learned the value of investing in recovery centers across the country. I would encourage everyone to visit one of the centers and witness how they are overcoming addiction, earning their GEDs and learning new skills to reenter our workforce. It’s incredible to see the transformation taking place in the lives of people in recovery.”

“I represent the largest border district in Congress—stretching more than 800 miles of our southern border. For far too long, cartels have exploited loopholes in our immigration system to peddle drugs into our country. I’ve seen firsthand the toll the drug epidemic has taken on communities not only in Texas but across the country. That’s why I’ve made bringing local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to the table a top priority. I frequently meet with law enforcement in my district and bring sheriffs, officers, and agents at all levels together for roundtables to share information and best practices for combatting human and drug trafficking,” said Rep. Gonzales. “Thank you to the Dean of the House of Representatives, Hal Rogers, for inviting me to speak on this panel. I look forward to continuing our work on the House Appropriations Committee to responsibly fund programs that curtail crime, invest in mental health services, and strengthen public safety initiatives.”

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Together, we can — and must — build on our progress to combat the opioid crisis, with the ultimate goal of ensuring no one loses another loved one to this epidemic. From targeting precursor chemicals to expanding comprehensive care for our veterans, I remain committed to bolstering prevention and recovery efforts in order to forge significant change and save American lives,” said Rep. Clyde.

Other elected officials spoke at the summit, including U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn from Tennessee and Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman, who presented Congressman Rogers with a challenge coin for his leadership in combatting the opioid epidemic in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Kentucky Educational Television (KET) attended the summit and will air a special program on Monday, April 28 at 8:00pm/ET.

For more information about Congressman Rogers’ work in Washington and at home in Kentucky, visit halrogers.house.gov and follow him on social media.