Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was in Ashland this morning visiting the journey and addiction rehabilitation and transitional housing facility for women in 2018.

McConnell helped pass a bill focused on addiction recovery called the Career Act.

It recognizes the need for housing and employment in a person's long term recovery journey.

Today, he said, federal dollars given to the journey is money well spent.

Wanted to come by and hear from the folks involved in using their career and also meet them and put a face on something.

We do vote on stuff all the time and sometimes wonder how it's actually being used or whether it actually made a difference.

This program makes a difference.

We need to have more of them all across America, not just confined to a certain part of it.

One study and I can more easily testify to the importance of it as a result of that, to come here and see this extraordinary leadership and learn from somebody who has actually benefited from.

McConnell is stepping down from his role as Republican leader in the Senate this fall.

But he says he won't stop working to fund recovery programs that are working.