There was one part of President Trump’s budget that got some praise by lawmakers: an extra $500 million for combating the opioid epidemic.
But it turns out that money isn’t new.
A source with the Office of Budget and Management said that the money, intended to boost treatment options for addicts, is the extra funding from the 21st Century Cures Act, which was passed by his predecessor former President Barack Obama.
Trump promised during his joint address to Congress last month that he would work to slow down and ultimately stop the “terrible drug epidemic” by building the border wall along Mexico.
He also promised repeatedly to take on opioid abuse by stopping the flow of illegal drugs into the country and cracking down on sanctuary cities.
“We have to solve this crisis,” he said during a campaign stop in Pennsylvania last October.
The Cures law also gave $4.8 billion to the National Institutes of Health over 10 years and included new provisions aimed at increasing the speed of approval of new drugs and devices.
