In Midst Of Epidemic, Trump To Gut Drug Office’s Budget By 95 Percent
The Office of National Drug Control Policy is the top office leading the federal effort against the crisis. The plan would shift much of its grants to the Justice and Health and Human Services departments. Meanwhile, governors are urging Washington to do more to combat the epidemic, offering a series of recommendations.
Politico:
Trump Again Targets Drug Policy Office, Proposing 95 Percent Budget Cut
President Donald Trump is planning to slash the budget of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, in what marks his administration’s second attempt to gut the top office responsible for coordinating the federal response to the opioid crisis. The plan would shift the office’s two main grant programs, the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas grant and the Drug Free Communities Act, to the Justice and Health and Human Services departments, respectively, multiple sources in the administration and others working with the government on the opioid crisis told POLITICO. (Karlin-Smith and Ehley, 1/18)
The Associated Press:
Governors Ask Trump, Congress To Do More On Opioid Crisis
Less than three months after President Donald Trump declared the U.S. opioid crisis a public health emergency, the nation's governors are calling on his administration and Congress to provide more money and coordination for the fight against the drugs, which are killing more than 90 Americans a day. The list of more than two dozen recommendations made Thursday by the National Governors Association is the first coordinated, bipartisan response from the nation's governors since Trump's October declaration. (Mulvihill, 1/18)
