Trump again targets drug policy office, proposing 95 percent budget cut
Source: Politico
By SARAH KARLIN-SMITH and BRIANNA EHLEY 01/18/2018 10:41 PM EST
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.
The move would result in a reduction of about $340 million, or 95 percent of the ONDCP’s budget. Trump administration officials say the office would still serve as the White House’s drug policy shop, while the grants would be administered by larger agencies.
The proposal is the latest in a series of actions that health policy experts contend show the Trump administration isn’t serious about addressing the opioid epidemic, despite the president's designating the substance abuse disorder a national emergency.
Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/18/trump-targets-drug-policy-office-297422
= new reply since forum marked as read
