On August 15th, Senator Donnelly will meet with Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh. To prepare for that meeting, he is listening to the concerns of Hoosiers as well as keeping a close eye on Kavanaugh’s previous work. Donnelly says Hoosiers want to make sure the Supreme Court nominee will use common sense to help move this nation forward.

“And so with Judge Kavanaugh, my concerns are and what I’m focused on is making sure he is impartial, that he has judicial temperament, and that he is highly qualified,” says Senator Donnelly.

This isn’t the only decision on Senator Donnelly’s plate. He says he’s fighting to protect healthcare and keeping healthcare in place for those with preexisting conditions such as asthma, diabetes, and arthritis.

“The Administrations Department of Justice just joined a lawsuit that’s trying to take coverage for pre-existing conditions away,” says Senator Donnelly. He says if that happens, it could mean 30% of Hoosiers could lose their healthcare.

“We are working nonstop to make sure health care remains in place and that we can get this right,” says Senator Donnelly.

He says he is also working to fight the opioid epidemic. Senator Donnelly was one of the driving forces behind Indiana’s law, limiting opioid prescriptions to seven days. In July of 2017, Indiana put a law in place to limit opioid prescriptions to seven days.

“I was the sponsor of an amendment to change prescribing practices in the United States so that we could lower the amount of opioids that would be prescribed,” says Donnelly.

Even in the recently debated farm bill, he included a provision that would expand telemedicine to rural communities. The idea is to give people in small towns better access to things like addiction treatment, no matter where they are.

“So that they can get the very, very best care in the world right here in Southwest Indiana,” says Senator Donnelly.