Americans from all walks of life are deeply concerned about addiction, overdose, and the impact of fentanyl. Families across the U.S.—whether from cities, suburbs, or rural communities— desperately want to protect their loved ones and keep them alive.
When it comes to solutions, Americans broadly agree that access to treatment, the opioid/fentanyl reversal medication naloxone, and other health services, are critical for saving lives and offering a path to recovery.
Yet, the Trump administration and Congress have already taken steps to scale back support for these crucial public health solutions. And now they are set to cut $1.5 trillion in federal funding that poses an immediate and catastrophic threat to these vital services. By slashing Medicaid and public health grant programs, Trump’s cuts will directly hinder access to treatment, naloxone, and vital health services. The results could be devastating: more lives lost to overdose, increased suffering, and addiction spiraling out of control. We cannot let these cuts go through—every second counts.
Kassandra Frederique, Executive Director of the Drug Policy Alliance, answers urgent questions to help us understand the immense threat posed by Trump’s federal funding cuts and what can be done to protect our loved ones and ourselves.
We’ve already seen some extremely harmful cuts to critical agencies we rely on to address drug use and overdose with lifesaving health services and support.
The Trump administration has taken steps to dismantle the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) by firing 10,000 employees and cutting $12 billion in state grants. These cuts gutted the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)—the agency central to addressing the overdose crisis. We’re hearing reports that staff, programs, and funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may be reduced, specifically the department that collects and analyzes national overdose data and programs that fund overdose prevention. And it’s been reported that Trump is proposing $40 billion more cuts to HHS next year.
The Department of Justice (DOJ)’s Office of Justice Programs has also cut around $159 million in awarded grants to programs related to addiction research, treatment, and overdose prevention. These agencies’ guidance and support to states have expanded access to effective overdose prevention strategies and kept people alive. Defunding these essential programs will create nearly insurmountable barriers to health services that people need to stay alive and thrive.
As the federal budget is negotiated, a major concern is Medicaid, which Congress will need to substantially slash as the committee with jurisdiction over the program has been ordered to cut $880 billion in domestic spending through 2034. This will undoubtedly impact a wide range of addiction services. Medicaid is the largest payer of substance use disorder treatment in the country. It helps pay for essential treatments, including medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), counseling, and inpatient treatment. These are the services that provide people with the support they need to overcome addiction. As one example, medications like buprenorphine stop cravings for opioids like fentanyl. They keep people alive and help them have a chance at recovery. Messing with Medicaid will have catastrophic consequences for people struggling with drugs and the millions of other Americans who rely on it as a lifeline for their essential healthcare needs.
Funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is also on the chopping block. SNAP recipients are overwhelmingly families with children and also include many people who are struggling with drugs or released from incarceration. Unfortunately, there has been a decades-long ban on SNAP for people with drug felony convictions. We have been working to repeal this ban because meeting people’s basic needs such as food, housing, access to addiction services, and employment, is the best way to help them overcome the challenges of having a criminal record and give them a real chance at stability. Cutting SNAP would take away a crucial tool that helps people succeed in avoiding the cycle of incarceration and finding a path to recovery. And it would hinder the full potential of repealing the cruel SNAP drug felony ban. While repealing the SNAP drug felony ban has bipartisan support, proposed cuts would disproportionately affect formerly incarcerated individuals, making it harder for them to successfully navigate reentry, rebuild their lives, and put food on the table for themselves and their loved ones.
A significant risk posed by the Trump administration is potential cuts to federal grant programs like SAMHSA’s Substance Use, Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Services grants. Cuts to these could be harmful because they fund vital services and supports like naloxone access, addiction treatment, and recovery efforts. Naloxone reverses opioid (including fentanyl) overdoses and is a critical tool in saving lives.
If cuts to these various critical programs go through, they could have severe consequences for people who use drugs and reverse the progress we’ve made in fighting the overdose and fentanyl crisis.
Essentially, yes. Even without these devastating cuts, families are already burdened by countless existing barriers to addiction services. These include long waitlists that can stretch for months, high costs that bankrupt families or leave them with few to no affordable options, and a crushing shortage of providers who can help. Susan Ousterman is a mom who lost her son to a fentanyl overdose. She shared a pain no parent should ever have to endure: “My son Tyler sought addiction treatment over a dozen times, but there was always a wait—sometimes no beds. Once while waiting for a bed, he overdosed in the lobby and still had to wait days for treatment.”
Federal funding cuts will likely make these barriers insurmountable. They will become even more unbearable for families like Susan’s. They will crush the already slim chances for those struggling with addiction to access the help they desperately need. The result? Even more heartbreaking losses, more families in grief, and an even more intense overdose and fentanyl crisis. Is this what you want for your loved ones? For your family? For yourself?
According to the CDC, there was a 24% decline in drug overdose deaths in the United States for the 12 months ending in September 2024. This is promising, but we must ask ourselves: What’s working, and how can we do more of it to save even more lives? After all, nearly 90,000 people still lost their lives to drug overdose during the same period. The CDC itself credits treatment and naloxone as key factors for the decrease, and advocates for “expanding access to evidence-based treatment for substance use disorders—including medications for opioid use disorder such as buprenorphine and methadone.”
However, Trump’s proposed federal funding cuts would obliterate access to these vital addiction and health services. Reductions in funding could leave those who rely on treatment programs unable to afford care, undermining the progress we’ve made in reducing overdose deaths.
Overdose prevention and harm reduction play a critical role in keeping people alive.
The street drug supply is so unpredictable that even people who only use drugs occasionally may accidentally be exposed to potent drugs like fentanyl. Many may wish people didn’t use drugs. But in reality, we can save lives if we provide everyone with the knowledge, tools, and skills to stay safe in case they ever do use. Fentanyl test strips, which detect fentanyl in drugs, and syringe service programs, which help reduce the spread of infectious diseases, are essential. They keep people safer and alive as they navigate addiction and life’s challenges.
Programs that provide overdose prevention education and distribute naloxone are also one of the best ways to build trust with people who use drugs. Providers can connect them to treatment and get naloxone in their hands.
These lifesaving resources are all at risk with Trump’s federal funding cuts. Without these services, we could see a sharp reversal of the progress we’ve made in preventing overdose deaths.
I am determined to do everything in my power to ensure no other family has to experience the pain of losing someone they love. I’m not alone in my grief. Nearly 500 American families who have also lost children and other family members to overdose have previously called on elected officials to embrace lifesaving health responses to drugs, instead of more criminalization.
As Americans, we believe in second chances and in recovery, but that is only possible if people are alive. By cutting federal funding, the Trump administration and Congress are undermining the very treatment, health, and addiction services that keep people safe.
President Trump has used the threat of fentanyl to rally support for his border and “tough on immigration” policies. But he’s forcing Congress to make at least $1.5 trillion worth of cuts to pay for more immigration enforcement which puts lifesaving services at risk. It’s a dangerous trade-off. What’s on the chopping block as a result? Effective strategies to keep people safe from fentanyl: access to treatment, naloxone, and other lifesaving health services. These cuts are compounded by reductions that could severely impact affordable housing, food (SNAP) benefits, veteran services, and education.
At the same time, President Trump has pushed for extreme measures, such as the death penalty for those who sell drugs. He’s suggested the U.S. use its military to go to war with Mexico and attack Mexican drug cartels. Americans are tired of endless wars and violence. So many people tell me that they are scared. Yet, the Trump administration is creating the conditions for more violence. And at the same time, they’re stripping away the community supports and health services that we all need to stay safe and healthy.
Moreover, Trump’s track record on being “tough on fentanyl” led to rising overdose deaths. When his administration criminalized all fentanyl-related substances in 2018, overdose deaths surged by 60% in just four years—from 67,367 deaths that year to 107,941 in 2022. The policy further opened the door for newer drugs to enter the market and our streets. Now, fentanyl is driving deaths across the country and concerning drugs like xylazine and nitazenes are more widespread.
I urge you to question the myth that tougher enforcement creates the safety we all desire. In reality, it’s resulted in more death and violence. And now, the services and resources that help to keep us safe and healthy are being cut and destroyed by billionaire elites in the White House.
You can help by volunteering or donating to local organizations that support addiction recovery, overdose prevention, or harm reduction in your community. You can also give to the Drug Policy Alliance to help us advocate for the necessary resources to save lives, prevent overdose deaths, and support recovery.
President Trump has previously shown some support for treatment and harm reduction, and I hope we can work with his administration to make these a priority again. He can fulfill his promise to protect Americans from fentanyl by preserving funding for treatment, prevention, and health services.
Now is the time to unite, speak out, and act. Every one of us deserves the chance to live a safe and healthy life. We can make it happen if we fight for it. Let’s fight for it. We must fight for it.
You can use your voice right now to demand your members of Congress preserve funding for addiction treatment and health services that help people stay alive, be safe, and recover.
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