Federal spending bill includes $3 billion to fight opioid epidemic
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U.S. legislators have agreed to an omnibus spending bill that would fund the federal government through the end of the fiscal year and include more than $3 billion in funding to counter the opioid epidemic.
In the treatment and prevention area, the bill would provide $1 billion in new funding for grants to states and Indian tribes to address the opioid epidemic, according to a summary of the bill. It also supports increased opioid overdose surveillance and prevention at the national, state and local level by providing $476 million to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for these activities — a $350 million increase from fiscal year 2017.
On the law enforcement side, the bill prioritizes funding at the Drug Enforcement Administration for anti-opioid and other illegal drug enforcement efforts, including $37 million to enhance opioid diversion investigations and prosecutions and $543 million for the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Forces, according to a summary of the bill.
The U.S. House of Representatives is currently debating a rule governing debate on the bill, which would fund the government past midnight on Friday, with a vote expected Thursday afternoon.
President Donald Trump unveiled a plan to combat the U.S. opioid crisis that received mixed reviews.
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