The Trump administration has delayed funding for its fentanyl overdose response efforts, leaving public health officials worried about the potential consequences. The delay affects roughly half of the funds allocated by Congress for the Overdose Data To Action (OD2A) program, which supports fentanyl response efforts in 49 states and the District of Columbia.
According to four CDC staff members who spoke on condition of anonymity, the funding disruption is caused by bureaucratic confusion involving the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency cost-cutting effort and the Office of Management and Budget. This has led to uncertainty about future funding for OD2A grants, which are crucial to efforts to lower overdose deaths from fentanyl, methamphetamines, and other drugs.
Public health officials describe the funds as essential to their efforts, and state that any changes to funding levels would be catastrophic. Without new funding, many addiction and drug overdose programs will reach the end of their current OD2A funding cycle by September 1, leaving them with a significant amount of uncertainty about their future.
The delay has also raised concerns about the impact on federally funded surveillance systems created to detect new toxic substances turning up in the illicit street drug supply. Researchers warn that defunding these programs would put the public at risk and undermine the nation’s ability to track emerging threats.
This development comes as the Biden administration ramped up spending on drug treatment and addiction health, including an expansion of the OD2A program. Many experts believe that bipartisan efforts contributed to a dramatic decline in overdose deaths that began in 2023. However, the Trump administration’s actions may unravel this progress at a critical moment.
The CDC has paused new spending due to the uncertainty surrounding the funding, and some public health departments have expressed concern about the potential impact of the delay on their programs. The White House Office of National Drug Policy and other officials have not responded to requests for comment on the matter.
Source: https://www.wbur.org/npr/nx-s1-5468535/fentanyl-trump-addiction-funding