Senator John McCain (R, Arizona) said he believes securing the border can help address the ongoing opioid epidemic.
“We have to tighten our border, we have to have better surveillance, we have to have better interception, we have to build a wall, but we also have to use technology such as drones, such as towers, such as increase in border patrol, and a lot of other things,” the senator said.
McCain added he believes public health officials must also address what causes demand for these drugs including the number of prescriptions written for powerful painkillers.
The questions came during a Facebook live broadcast Wednesday morning. He spoke from behind a desk in his office in Phoenix. An aide read him questions from viewers watching the live video stream.
McCain was critical of infrastructure in the United States, particularly Arizona, noting that Interstate 17 was closed for hours on Tuesday, and said tax code reform could generate money to improve roads and bridges. McCain said lowering the corporate tax rate from 35% to 15% may entice large international corporations to bring money kept overseas back to the U.S., provided the government promise to only spend it on infrastructure.
McCain said he continues to work while undergoing treatment for an aggressive form of brain cancer and plans to return to Washington after the August recess. He says he still feels energized despite his cancer treatments.
“Fortunately, they found it early and the treatment is going extremely well. I have another week and a half of this treatment that I’m getting then they'll check it out and see if there's anything additional that needs to be done,” McCain said.
