enhanced penalties for fentanyl smuggling implemented by Trump, while public health grants withheld
The Trump administration's decision to withhold approximately $140 million in grants for fentanyl overdose response and addiction programs has raised concerns, with critics calling it illegal and detrimental to ongoing efforts to address the fentanyl crisis.
These grants, part of the Overdose Data To Action (OD2A) program, are crucial for funding research on changes in the deadly street drug supply. According to sources within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the administration has delayed and may potentially cancel these grants, which were approved by Congress[1].
The freeze on funds is causing concern among public health officials, as drug overdose deaths have been decreasing. Many states and local public health departments attribute this progress to the use of federal addiction money[6]. CDC sources report that top officials are voicing frustration, as they have been sending information to the White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy and trying to get the grant money reviewed and cleared for passing out to states and local officials, but have had to warn that the funds may never arrive[2].
Chrissie Juliano, who heads the Big Cities Health Coalition, a group of about 35 of the largest urban public health departments in the country, is also worried about the frozen funds. Any planning or spending for next year's use of this federal addiction money has been paused, even though it is in the budget approved by Congress[7].
Senator Tim Kaine has criticised the move, describing it as illegal and hampering ongoing efforts to address the fentanyl crisis. He emphasised that the move coincides with the Trump administration enacting tax cuts for the wealthy while cutting programs crucial for working families and public health[3][5].
President Trump has signed legislation imposing new, tougher penalties for fentanyl traffickers while criminalising a wider range of substances. However, the withholding of funds is not seen as ideological or a dispute over policy, but rather due to growing bureaucratic confusion and muddle between federal agencies and President Trump's cost-cutting effort[4].
NPR's sources inside the CDC report that they do not have permission to speak publicly about their concerns and fear retribution from the Trump administration if they are identified[8]. The withheld funds belong to the Overdose Data to Action program, a federal grant worth roughly $290 million in total.
The administration has not responded to NPR's requests for comment on the withholding of the funds[1]. The delay in the disbursement of these funds could result in the U.S. being "flying blind" as the overdose crisis continues, according to Juliano, who stated that any changes to funding levels for the OD2A program would be catastrophic and send progress in reducing overdose deaths backwards[1].
- The decision by the Trump administration to withhold grants for fentanyl overdose response and addiction programs, part of the Overdose Data To Action (OD2A) program, has raised concerns about the future of science and research on fentanyl.
- The freeze on funds for health-and-wellness programs, such as the OD2A program, has left officials in the field of mental-health expressing frustration, as any planning or spending for next year's usage of this federal addiction money has been paused.
- The policy-and-legislation surrounding war-and-conflicts may have some overlap with the administration's move to withhold funds for fentanyl response and addiction programs, as critics argue that the decision to cut these funds coincides with the enactment of tax cuts for the wealthy.
- The general-news scene is filled with discussions on the politics of funding, as the withholding of funds for health-and-wellness and fitness-and-exercise programs, like the OD2A program, is not seen as ideological or a dispute over policy, but rather due to growing bureaucratic confusion and muddle between federal agencies and President Trump's cost-cutting effort.
