President Biden Calls for Historic Funding to Beat the Overdose Epidemic Being Driven by Fentanyl

Budget calls for increased funding to disrupt and dismantle drug trafficking operations, reduce the supply of illicit drugs like fentanyl, and expand access to addiction care

WASHINGTON, D.C. – To advance the Administration’s plan to beat the opioid epidemic as part of his Unity Agenda, President Biden released his FY 2024 budget request to Congress, which calls for a historic investment of $46.1 billion for National Drug Control Program agencies. The FY24 budget request continues the Biden Administration’s trend of calling for dramatic investments to address the overdose epidemic driven by fentanyl, and represents a $5.0 billion increase from the FY22 request and a $2.3 billion increase over the FY23 enacted level. The FY24 budget also includes an increase in funding for efforts to reduce the supply of illicit drugs like fentanyl and stop drug trafficking. It also includes an increase in funding to support the expansion of prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery support services.

“For six months in a row, we have seen a steady decrease or flattening in overdose deaths because of historic actions taken by the Biden-Harris Administration,” said Dr. Gupta. “To build on this progress and save more lives, President Biden is calling for increased investments to dramatically expand access to care for addiction and go after drug traffickers harming the health and safety of communities.”

The President’s FY24 budget supports the historic levels of investments made to address addiction and the overdose epidemic through the American Rescue Plan and the Consolidated Appropriations Act.

To read more about the President’s FY 2024 budget request, click here.

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