Republican lawmakers rejected two Democratic amendments to the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Reduction Act of 2016 on Wednesday that sought to add $1 billion in additional funding to expand access to opioid treatment programs, according to Reuters.
The rejected amendments, proposed by House and Senate Democrats, would have provided $920 million up front for state grants to provide additional treatment for addicts.
The rejection may weaken Democratic support of the final legislation that could be voted on in the House as soon as Friday. Within the past few months, the House and Senate both passed individual versions of the legislation.
Democratic opposition poses a major obstacle to passing the legislation, particularly in the Senate where 60 votes are needed to move legislation forward.
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