President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017, as Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., listen. (Jim Lo Scalzo/Pool Image via AP)
NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump’s budget proposal weakens insurance coverage for drug addiction treatment and cuts back funding for research and prevention programs.
Some see that as a betrayal of those who trusted his campaign pledge to make the opioid epidemic a top priority. Those most frustrated include parents of those lost to the epidemic who shared their stories directly with Trump before and after the election.
Cuts to Medicaid worry advocates most because the program covers an estimated three in 10 adults with opioid addiction.
But acting “drug czar” Richard Baum says the budget demonstrates the administration’s “commitment to stopping drugs from entering the country and supporting treatment efforts to address the burgeoning opioid epidemic.”
Trump’s plan was released this week. Members of Congress have said they are unlikely to approve the budget as written.
According to new figures released by the state earlier this month, the number of opioid-related deaths on Cape Cod hit a 16-year high in 2016.
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