U.S. President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have decided to cut funding for addiction treatment programs and research, suggesting the funds should be redirected towards initiatives to “Make America Health Again”.
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Andrew Harnik/Getty Images/Getty Images North America
Local and state health departments, along with non-profit organizations, are facing turmoil following the Trump administration’s sudden cancellation and revocation of approximately $11.4 billion in COVID-related funding for grants tied to addiction, mental health, and other initiatives.
“This is cutting things off at a critical time when work is underway,” stated Keith Humphreys, an addiction policy researcher at Stanford University, who also volunteers in harm reduction efforts for those dealing with addiction. He cautioned that this action could lead to layoffs and disruptions in treatment services.
“Services will be discontinued abruptly. Just like that, a clinic will shut down. It’s a harsh approach to implementing these cuts,” Humphreys commented.
The federal grant funding was expected to continue through September 2025. In a statement provided to NPR, a representative from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services explained that there was a clear rationale for ceasing the program immediately.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is over, and HHS will not squander billions of taxpayer dollars addressing a pandemic that has already passed, which Americans have moved on from,” the statement read, noting that the Trump administration aims to redirect funding towards addressing America’s “chronic disease epidemic.”
Drug overdoses related to fentanyl and other substances have significantly decreased in recent years, primarily due to increased funding for addiction treatment during the Biden administration. However, street drugs continue to claim over 84,000 lives annually in the U.S., according to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
President Donald Trump has prioritized fentanyl smuggling as a significant issue since the early days of his administration, extending an emergency declaration related to this potent street opioid.
Nonetheless, his administration has also drastically reduced the number of federal researchers concentrating on addiction, and Trump has pardoned a tech entrepreneur found guilty of developing a “dark web” platform employed for drug trafficking.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is also being integrated into a new entity called the Administration for a Healthy America (AHA) as part of a restructuring of HHS, which is predicted to result in the loss of 20,000 federal jobs.
The decision to withdraw funds, including those for addiction treatment grants, has faced criticism from specialists who warn that progress made in decreasing overdose deaths could be reversed.
“DOGE is actively withdrawing support aimed at preventing overdose fatalities by reclaiming funds from states,” Regina LaBelle, a drug policy expert at Georgetown University and former Biden administration official, wrote on social media. “With overdose deaths still surpassing 80,000 each year, is DOGE declaring victory?”
In a statement to NPR, a spokesperson for Ohio’s Republican Governor Mike DeWine indicated that they are “awaiting concrete details before providing comments” on the funding cuts.
Numerous Democratic leaders around the nation have condemned this action.
“Abruptly stripping away this funding allocated by Congress will jeopardize our state’s capacity to protect families from infectious diseases like measles and bird flu, as well as to ensure individuals receive the mental health services and substance treatment they require,” remarked U.S. Senator Patty Murray, a Democrat from Washington state, in a statement.
She asserted that the loss of $160 million in federal funds designated for her state might lead to the elimination of “more than 200 jobs” in public and non-profit health organizations.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul expressed that her state would lose approximately $300 million in funding, much of which was intended for county health departments in rural communities.
“At a juncture when New York is grappling with a persisting opioid crisis, confirmed measles cases, and an ongoing mental health emergency, these cuts will have dire consequences,” Hochul stated. “No state in this country possesses the financial means to replace the extensive federal funding reductions.”
A spokesperson for Colorado’s Behavioral Health Administration mentioned that $250 million in federal cuts in her state would impact around 60 programs and could endanger patients.
“In numerous instances, these are life-saving programs and services, and we are concerned for the welfare of those who rely on this assistance,” spokesperson Allie Eliot stated in an email to Colorado Public Radio.
In their communication to NPR, HHS officials played down the repercussions of the funding reductions and asserted that most grants being withdrawn supported outdated pandemic-related programs, including initiatives to “address COVID-19 health disparities among populations at high-risk and underserved, including racial and ethnic minority communities.”
Tom Wolf, an addiction activist in San Francisco who has critiqued Democratic strategies concerning the overdose crisis, expressed a general support for Trump’s policy directions.
“There are certain aspects of what he is doing that I believe are positive. For me, my focus is on effective execution,” Wolf noted.
However, he also expressed worries regarding the speed of changes and the potential for effective addiction treatment initiatives to lose funding, particularly as tens of thousands in the U.S. continue to succumb to fatal overdoses each year.
“Are they evaluating the effectiveness of those programs?” Wolf questioned.
Addiction specialists informed NPR that they are preparing for what many anticipate to be significant decreases in Medicaid funding, which is the most substantial single source of insurance coverage for drug and alcohol treatment across the country.
“It’s very challenging to examine the budget framework produced by Republicans and envision a scenario where Medicaid will not be severely slashed,” Stanford University’s Keith Humphreys remarked. “It’s a distressing prospect that will be exceptionally painful for families confronting addiction.”
