King Urges President Trump Not to Cut Funding to National Drug Control Policy Office as Opioid Epidemic Rages in Maine
Press Release
U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today sent President Donald Trump a letter urging him not to cut funding to the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).
Senator King's letter comes in the wake of reports that the President is considering a drastic 95 percent reduction in budget for ONDCP, the federal government's lead office in coordinating the fight against the opioid epidemic in states like Maine. The cuts would come at a time when the drug crisis continues to worsen in Maine. Last year, the state lost a record number of people to overdose deaths, averaging one death a day.
"I write to express my support for the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and concern regarding recent reports of the Administration's proposal to cut the office's funding by 95 percent," Senator King wrote. "With our country in the midst of a devastating opioid epidemic, this approach is misguided and will only hurt our communities struggling with this scourge. I hope that as you finalize your FY'18 Budget, you will consider the importance of ONDCP and provide adequate funding for the office to carry out its work."
In his letter, Senator King highlighted the importance of ONDCP's Drug Free Communities (DFC) Support Program and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Program, and asked the President to prioritize both.
ONDCP awarded $2.25 million in funding to 18 DFC programs in Maine last year, which assisted local community coalitions to prevent youth substance abuse. Meanwhile, New England HIDTA is located in Cumberland County and has been valuable in assisting and coordinating efforts with law enforcement agencies across all levels of government to reduce drug trafficking and production. Senator King quoted Scarborough Chief of Police Robert Moulton in support of HIDTA in his letter: "I see the work that HIDTA does through its task forces made up of Federal, State and local partners and I can say that this problem would be even larger without the work that they perform."
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