Why Did Lawmakers Wear Purple Ribbons at the State of the Union?

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January 31, 2018 5:18 AM

At least a dozen members of Congress wore purple ribbons at President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday night to help raise awareness about the country’s opioid epidemic.

In October, Trump declared that the crisis had become a “public health emergency.” Overdoses killed about 64,000 Americans in 2016, making it the leading cause of death for people under 50.

Trump mentioned the opioid crisis again in his speech on Tuesday.

“We must get much tougher on drug dealers and pushers if we are going to succeed in stopping this scourge,” Trump said, noting the number of overdose deaths in 2016. “My administration is committed to fighting the drug epidemic and helping get treatment for those in need. The struggle will be long and difficult — but, as Americans always do, we will prevail.”

Lawmakers who donned the purple ribbons included Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, and Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., posted a photo on Twitter before the address that showed her wearing a purple ribbon and also a Time’s Up pin on her lapel, as did several other lawmakers. Time’s Up is an initiative created by actresses and female writers, directors and Hollywood executives to combat sexual misconduct in the entertainment industry and beyond.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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