Trump declares opioid epidemic a public health crisis but doesn’t add any additional funds

Amy Scott Oct 26, 2017
HTML EMBED:
COPY

Trump declares opioid epidemic a public health crisis but doesn’t add any additional funds

Amy Scott Oct 26, 2017
HTML EMBED:
COPY

President Donald Trump has long promised to declare the opioid crisis in America a national emergency, freeing up more federal resources to fight the epidemic. Today turned out to the be the day. At the White House this afternoon, the president directed acting Health Secretary Eric Hargan to declare a public health emergency under the Public Health Services Act. The declaration comes with no new money. It does cut some red tape to help more people get treatment and frees up other sources of funding. 

Click the audio player above to hear the full story.

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.