Communities across the United States have begun to see meaningful progress in the fight against the overdose crisis. In 2024, overdose deaths declined by nearly 27 percent - the largest annual reduction in decades. This progress reflects the collective efforts of public health leaders, healthcare providers, first responders, recovery organizations, and community partners working to expand access to prevention, treatment, recovery support and overdose prevention services. These achievements build on a foundation of sustained federal investment across administrations, including the first Trump Administration.
Congress recently demonstrated bipartisan commitment to addressing the overdose crisis by enacting Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 appropriations for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). These appropriations maintained significant federal investments in programs that support prevention, treatment, recovery support, and overdose prevention and response efforts across states and communities. These investments include $1.6 billion for the State Opioid Response (SOR) program, $1.9 billion for the Substance Use Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Services (SUPTRS) Block Grant, roughly $2 billion for Substance abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Programs of Regional and National Significance (PRNS), and $505.6 million for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) overdose prevention and surveillance programs, including Overdose Data to Action (OD2A).
These programs help states and local communities expand access to evidence-based treatment, distribute lifesaving medications such as naloxone, strengthen surveillance and early warning systems and support recovery services for individuals and families affected by substance use disorder. Addiction research funding supports cutting-edge overdose response tools that help us adapt to new and evolving changes in the illicit drug supply, help us understand how to prevent and treat addiction and measure the impact of policy interventions on local communities.
Despite evidence of the efficacy of these investments, the President’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Budget Request would dismantle the system, shifting dollars away from these lifesaving investments at an alarming rate. The proposal would reduce overall HHS spending by nearly $16 billion. The proposed organizational restructuring will significantly diminish the nation’s ability to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America’s communities. Furthermore, the budget proposes eliminating entire funding lines that support targeted, community-level rapid response needed to address urgent issues like opioid surges, youth mental health spikes, or suicide clusters—situations that need immediate, specialized action.
The proposal would significantly restructure federal behavioral health and substance use funding by consolidating multiple behavioral health-related formula grant programs, including the SOR program and SUPTRS block grant, into a single $4.5 billion Behavioral Health Innovation Block Grant. This would represent a $100 million reduction compared with FY 2026 enacted levels.
As policymakers consider these proposals during the FY 2027 appropriations process, federal funding for overdose prevention, treatment, recovery and response services and data-driven public health approaches should continue to be prioritized at current, if not increased levels, so that states and communities can continue implementing effective programs.
Because the overdose crisis continues to affect families and communities in every region of the country, it has long been an issue with strong bipartisan support and shared urgency. Protecting the progress that has been made will require continued partnership among federal, state, and local leaders and the organizations working to support individuals and families affected by substance use disorder.
Signatories:
A New PATH
Dream.org
Drug Policy Alliance
Faces and Voices of Recovery
Global Health Advocacy Incubator, Overdose Prevention Initiative
International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium
Legal Action Center
Mobilize Recovery
NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals
National Behavioral Health Association of Providers
Partnership to End Addiction
Shatterproof
