Clay County Judge Executive Johnny Johnson
MANCHESTER, KY - As far-off executives target Kentucky communities and profit off the pain caused, Clay County Judge Executive Johnny Johnson along with more than a dozen local Kentucky officials signed a letter calling on Kentucky’s Congressional delegation to investigate the roots of the opioid crisis and the corner-office executives who worsened it.
In particular, they discuss McKinsey and Company, a multi-billion consulting firm that advised a client how to “turbocharge” the opioid epidemic. That one firm alone was connected to roughly 90% of all opioid pills sold in the U.S. for nearly a decade.
The Honorable Mitch McConnell The Honorable Rand Paul, M.D.
U.S. Senate Republican Leader U.S. Senator
317 Russell Senate Office Building 167 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510 Washington, D.C. 20510
The Honorable Hal Rogers The Honorable John Yarmuth
Member of Congress Member of Congress
2406 Rayburn House Office Building 402 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515 Washington, D.C. 20515
The Honorable Brett Guthrie The Honorable Thomas Massie
Member of Congress Member of Congress
2434 Rayburn House Office Building 2453 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515 Washington, D.C. 20515
The Honorable Andy Barr The Honorable James Comer
Member of Congress Member of Congress
2430 Rayburn House Office Building 2410 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515 Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Members of the Kentucky Congressional Delegation:
As local government officials in Kentucky, we face the reality of the opioid crisis every day. We see the loss firsthand. That's why we work hard, alongside the brave men and women of our fire, law enforcement, and emergency services departments, to keep dangerous substances off our streets and away from our neighbors. This scourge remains a comprehensive problem that requires a comprehensive solution involving a concerted local, state, and federal response. Each of you has championed this important cause, and we are grateful for your leadership in directing funding and national attention to Kentucky's efforts.
However, there is one contributing factor of the opioid crisis that hasn't received appropriate attention. For years, a multi-billion dollar consulting firm, McKinsey & Company, devised strategies with ruthless precision to pump more of these pills into our Commonwealth and to boost corporate profits. Roughly 90% of all opioid pills sold in this country from 2006-2014 could be traced to the firm's consulting advice to its clients. Even as Americans were learning about the serious dangers of opioids, McKinsey was advising a client to "turbocharge" sales no matter the human cost.
Here is just one example of McKinsey's bad-faith dealings with victims of substance use disorder. Since 2008, the firm has earned more than $140 million from contracts with the Food and Drug Administration, including projects with the Center of Drug Evaluation and Research. While McKinsey was advising the FDA to streamline the approval process for new medications—including opioids—the firm was also working with others to circumvent the agency's review. This blatant conflict of interest not only padded the wallets of executives, but also ballooned the devastation of addiction still raging in every neighborhood around the country.
As you probably know, Kentucky's Attorney General Daniel Cameron recently joined 48 of his colleagues from across the country in finalizing a settlement with McKinsey totaling nearly $600 million. Kentucky's share amounts to approximately $10.8 million—a helpful sum, but one that is nowhere close to the damage caused by McKinsey and its clients. In fact, as part of its settlement, McKinsey refused to acknowledge its culpability or take responsibility for its role in exacerbating the opioid epidemic.
This crisis—and McKinsey's central role in creating and sustaining it—cannot be easily undone. But that cannot deter us from fighting. Leadership at all levels must ensure this callous corporation and others like it can never cause similar harm to Kentucky families, children, communities.
First, we ask that you help us raise awareness of McKinsey's staggering impact on the opioid crisis.
Second, we hope you will support extensive Congressional oversight of the FDA and its relationship with McKinsey. There is still so much the American people do not know about what McKinsey was doing for the FDA, who hired the firm, and how this work may have been used to benefit its other clients.
Finally, once President Biden nominates new leadership at the FDA, we hope you will use the Senate confirmation process to ensure the agency will no longer allow McKinsey to receive lucrative federal contracts without transparency. Our taxpayer dollars should not continue funding a corporation known for deceiving the public and profiting off our pain.
Once again, thank you for leading the federal effort to address the addiction crisis and to help save lives. We stand as eager partners in that work, and we hope you will not hesitate to let us know how we can help.
Sincerely,
The Honorable Tom Watson The Honorable John Riley
Mayor of Owensboro Spencer County Judge-Executive
101 East 4th Street 12 West Main Street
P.O. Box 10003 P.O. Box 397
Owensboro, Kentucky 42302 Taylorsville, Kentucky 40071
The Honorable Blake Durrett The Honorable Ricky Craig
LaRue County Judge-Executive Clinton County Judge-Executive
209 West High Street, Suite 4 100 South Cross Street
Hodgenville, Kentucky 42748 Albany, Kentucky 42602
The Honorable Timothy Graves Mr. J.D. Chaney
Washington County Judge-Executive Executive Director/ CEO
109 North Cross Street Kentucky League of Cities
P.O. Box 126 100 East Vine Street, Suite 800
Springfield, Kentucky 40069 Lexington, Kentucky 40507
The Honorable Owen McNeill The Honorable Kenny Wilson
Mason County Judge-Executive Hickman County Judge-Executive
221 Stanley Reed Court Street 116 South Jefferson Street
Maysville, Kentucky 41056 Clinton, Kentucky 42031
The Honorable Todd Mansfield The Honorable Todd Pollock
Todd County Judge-Executive Trimble County Judge-Executive
202 East Washington Street 123 Church Street
P.O. Box 335 P.O. Box 251
Elkton, Kentucky 42220 Bedford, Kentucky 40006
The Honorable Donnie Watson The Honorable Larry Foxworthy
Estill County Judge-Executive Fleming County Judge-Executive
130 Main Street, Room 101 100 Court Square
Irvine, Kentucky 40336 Flemingsburg, Kentucky 41041
The Honorable Pat White, Jr. The Honorable John Wilson
Whitley County Judge-Executive Garrard County Judge-Executive
200 Main Street 15 Public Square
P.O. Box 237 Lancaster, Kentucky 40444
Williamsburg, Kentucky 40769
The Honorable Perry Newcom The Honorable John Johnson
Crittenden County Judge-Executive Clay County Judge-Executive
107 South Main Street, Suite 208 102 Richmond Road, Suite 201
Marion, Kentucky 42064 Manchester, Kentucky 40962
