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Congresswoman Slaughter talks budget, opioids

Congresswoman Louise Slaughter discussed the bipartisan budget agreement Monday in Rochester.

She said it was an illustration of what could happen if "everyone works together," and said that Democrats got almost everything they wanted out of the deal.

But in terms of where DACA is today, she says it’s an awful case of bait and switch, after the Obama administration asked people to come forward and trust in their government.

"These were all people working. Contributing to this society, paying taxes. Not causing any crime or any disruption, there were 11 million of them."

She says the hope is to win back the House and Senate this year and take care of the issue if it’s not done by then.

Slaughter also helped announce a federal grant from the Department of Health and Human Services that was awarded to the University of Rochester.

$200,000 is heading to Jean Bidlack's lab at The University Medical Center for new opioid research.

"What I’m looking at is a hormone that has been shown in animals to reduce both a preference for sweets and alcohol by decreasing dopamine."

Bidlack says no one has looked into whether this hormone would block a craving for opioids.

Local community health leaders working to keep low cost healthcare facilities open also joined Slaughter. In the budget agreement, those centers will be funded for two more years.