Press Release
☷FACT SHEET House Republicans Propose Severely Undermining Fight Against Opioid Crisis in Latest Extreme Budget Proposal
White House ( By Press Release office)
Apr 05,2024
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The Republican Study Committee , which represents all House Republican leadership and the majority of their members , just released a budget that would seriously cut funding for states to fight the overdose epidemic . Opioid overdoses are actually the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 49 . President Biden believes we need to unite as a country and do everything we can to combat this crisis that is devastating families everywhere . That ' s why he has made it a top priority in his agenda and is calling on both Republicans and Democrats to work together to crack down on fentanyl trafficking and expand access to life - saving addiction treatment . Under President Biden ' s leadership , his administration has invested more money and broken more barriers to treatment than any previous administration . This includes a new law that has expanded the number of healthcare providers who can prescribe life - saving treatment for opioid use disorder by over 1 . 8 million . Additionally , the administration has fought for the toughest border security legislation in history to help stop fentanyl trafficking . However , House Republicans recently proposed a budget that would cut funding for families and communities by over 30 percent . This includes slashing funds for State Opioid Response Grants , which are crucial for states and territories in fighting the epidemic . It ' s important to note that over 27 million Americans had a drug use disorder in 2022 , and we are losing an American to drug overdose every five minutes . Yet , House Republicans want to take away life - saving treatment for opioid use disorder . On top of that , they also want to cut $4 . 5 trillion from Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act , which would leave millions without coverage and reduce services for those in need of mental health and substance use disorder care . The State Opioid Response grant program is vital in providing funding for states and territories to improve access to opioid use disorder treatment and enhance prevention , harm reduction , and recovery support services . Since 2018 , this program has allowed states to provide treatment to over 1 . 2 million people nationwide . It has also enabled the purchase of approximately 10 million overdose reversal medication kits , saving over 550 , 000 lives from overdoses . But if House Republicans ' latest budget proposal goes through , almost 39 , 000 fewer Americans across the country would benefit from this important program . Here ' s how the reduction would impact each state or territory: ( list of states with corresponding numbers ) . This estimate is likely to change . This analysis assumes a general decrease of about 31% compared to the current funding levels for non - defense discretionary accounts in FY 2024 . This is in line with the Republican Study Committee Budget , which aims to reduce NDD base funding to $534 billion in FY 2025 , a decrease of roughly 31% from the funding provided in FY 2024 .
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