Tell the House: Protect Funding for Overdose Prevention & Addiction Treatment

The Trump administration and Congress have already cut hundreds of millions from federal funding for addiction and overdose prevention services along with nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid. Now the administration wants Congress to slash $26 billion more from overdose prevention and addiction treatment by restructuring the Department of Health and Human Services and creating the “Administration for a Healthy America”.

If the Trump administration succeeds, Congress could slash funding for addiction treatment, naloxone, fentanyl test strips, recovery supports, and other lifesaving tools. Cuts to agencies like SAMHSA will mean fewer services, longer wait times, and more lives lost—leaving families seeking help to find the door shut.

Unfortunately, the House may give in to Trump’s demands and has already proposed cutting hundreds of millions in funding from vital agencies like the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), which leads our response to addiction and overdose.

The House will be negotiating their federal budget proposal over the coming weeks. Tell your Representative to protect federal funding for overdose prevention and addiction treatment now!

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Your Message

Subject

Dear Representative,

Message Body

I urge you to protect funding for lifesaving programs like addiction treatment, naloxone access, and other vital health services through the FY26 Labor, Health, and Human Services (LHHS) Appropriations process. I hope the House follows the Senate’s lead by protecting this critical funding in the FY2026 LHHS Appropriations bill.

Americans from all walks of life are deeply concerned about the impact of addiction, overdose, and fentanyl on our loved ones. People are struggling and dying every day. Recent declines in overdose show that access to treatment, naloxone, and other health services keep people alive and on a path towards recovery.  Yet, the Trump administration and Congress are scaling back support for these crucial public health solutions.

In 2024, U.S. overdose deaths fell 27%, yet over 80,000 people still died—more than from vehicle crashes and firearms combined. That decline was driven by sustained, growing investments by CDC and SAMHSA in prevention, treatment, overdose response, infectious-disease prevention, and recovery supports under the last three administrations, including President Trump’s first administration.

Now, overdose deaths are rising again (https://www.npr.org/2025/06/18/nx-s1-5436711/overdose-drugs-cdc)—and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. even re-declared overdose as a public health emergency. This crisis demands ongoing federal backing for proven interventions like naloxone distribution, medications for opioid use disorder, and fentanyl test-strip programs.

So why are Congress and the Trump administration cutting—and planning more cuts to—these lifesaving services?

The Trump administration and Congress’s decision to cut Medicaid will strip millions of people of their coverage. Without Medicaid, individuals will lose access to lifesaving treatments—from medications for opioid use disorder to behavioral health support—putting them at greater risk of overdose. Protecting and sustaining funding for overdose prevention and addiction services through the Appropriations process is more urgent than ever.

Services and programs that help all of us live healthier and safer lives are under attack. Please put pressure on your colleagues to protect federal funding for lifesaving programs. Our livelihoods and wellbeing depend on it.

Sincerely,

[First Name] [Last Name]
[Your Address]

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