{"id":2560738,"date":"2026-02-01T10:25:58","date_gmt":"2026-02-01T15:25:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/advocates-fear-trumps-addiction-recovery-initiative-is-an-empty-promise-10\/"},"modified":"2026-02-01T10:28:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-01T15:28:00","slug":"advocates-fear-trumps-addiction-recovery-initiative-is-an-empty-promise-10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/advocates-fear-trumps-addiction-recovery-initiative-is-an-empty-promise-10\/","title":{"rendered":"Advocates fear Trump&#8217;s addiction recovery initiative is an empty promise"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fadvocates-fear-trumps-addiction-recovery-initiative-is-an-empty-promise-10%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2560738&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>President Donald Trump signed an executive order creating the Great American Recovery Initiative, a whole-of-government task force led by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and adviser Kathryn Burgum to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/advocates-fear-trumps-addiction-recovery-initiative-is-an-empty-promise-2\/\" title=\"Advocates fear Trump&#039;s ... is an empty promise\">address demand-side drivers<\/a> of the U.S. drug and alcohol epidemic and reduce stigma. The order arrives against a backdrop in which an estimated 48.5 million people age 12+ have a substance use disorder (about 28 million with drug use disorder and 27.9 million with alcohol use disorder). Advocacy groups and experts praised the focus on recovery but warned the initiative lacks the necesary congressional action and funding to expand treatment access\u2014especially given proposed Medicaid cuts in the GOP spending plan and potential work requirements that could limit care. Critics also pointed to past administrative missteps (such as a brief cancellation of SAMHSA funding) and structural barriers like DEA rules that restrict methadone access; only about 600,000 people receive methadone treatment despite millions meeting criteria. Policy commentators debated the management\u2019s framing of addiction as a chronic disease versus a neuropsychological compulsion, and some urged Congress to revive legislation (the Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act) and to expand Medicaid\/Medicare coverage to make the initiative effective.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Advocates fear Trump&rsquo;s addiction recovery initiative is an empty promise<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2466133\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Addiction recovery advocates are wary that President Donald Trump&rsquo;s plan for addressing the substance abuse epidemic in the United States won&rsquo;t sufficiently help the problem without action from Congress and a boost in funding for addiction treatment nationwide.<\/p>\n<p>Trump signed an <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/fact-sheets\/2026\/01\/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-launches-the-great-american-recovery-initiative-to-address-the-addiction-crisis\/\">executive order<\/a> on Thursday creating the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2026\/01\/addressing-addiction-through-the-great-american-recovery-initiative\/\">Great American Recovery Initiative<\/a>, an intergovernmental task force aimed at addressing demand-side factors fueling America&rsquo;s drug and alcohol epidemic, but the move was met with a degree of skepticism from the advocacy community.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/healthcare\/4441635\/newsom-hits-dr-oz-civil-rights-complaint-armenian-hospice-fraud-allegations\/\">Newsom hits Dr. Oz with civil rights complaint over Armenian hospice fraud allegations<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/healthcare\/4440598\/epa-maha-review-safe-fluoride-levels-drinking-water\/\">EPA launches MAHA review of safe fluoride levels for drinking water&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/healthcare\/4439936\/florida-nurse-license-revoked-treat-maga\/\">Florida nurse has license revoked for saying he won&#8217;t treat &#8216;MAGA&#8217; Republicans<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>As of 2024, 48.5 million people over age 12 suffered from some sort of substance abuse disorder, nearly 17% of the total U.S. population.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>More than <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >28 million people reported battling drug<\/a> use disorder, with 1 in 6 of them saying they also struggle with alcohol abuse. Another 27.9 million live with alcohol use disorder.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Trump&rsquo;s executive order acknowledges that very few of the public actually receive treatment for their substance abuse disorder despite breakthroughs in medicine and psychology to assist in recovery.<\/p>\n<p>The initiative&rsquo;s task force, led by Health and Human Services Secretary <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/robert-f-kennedy-jr\/\">Robert F. Kennedy<\/a> Jr., represents a whole-of-government approach to drive innovation in addiction recovery and spread awareness to reduce stigma.<\/p>\n<p>Kennedy, a recovering heroin addict, told <em>Fox and Friends<\/em> on Friday that he also lost his brother and two nieces to substance abuse disorder.<\/p>\n<p>Kathryn Burgum, wife of Interior Secretary <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/doug-burgum\/\">Doug Burgum<\/a> and Trump&rsquo;s newly appointed adviser for addiction recovery working alongside Kennedy, is also a recovering alcoholic, who started abusing alcohol as a teenager.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">WATCH IN FULL: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SecKennedy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@SecKennedy<\/a> and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KathrynBurgum?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@KathrynBurgum<\/a> appear on <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/foxandfriends?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@foxandfriends<\/a> to share their personal journeys to recovery and their role as co-chairs of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@POTUS<\/a>&rsquo;s Great American Recovery Initiative. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/GoBDT3b65e\">pic.twitter.com\/GoBDT3b65e<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; HHS (@HHSGov) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HHSGov\/status\/2017266453469069345?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 30, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Addiction recovery advocates are not wholly optimistic about the executive action without substantive commitments of federal funding to increase access to treatment.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Stephen Taylor, president of the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.asam.org\/news\/detail\/2026\/01\/30\/asam-statement-on-the-great-american-recovery-initiative\">American Society of Addiction Medicine<\/a>, applauded the administration&rsquo;s decision to address addiction as a chronic disease, but said it ultimately needed to be backed by sufficient expansion of Medicaid and Medicare coverage &ldquo;to address the full continuum of addiction care.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/profiles.stanford.edu\/keith-humphreys\">Keith Humphreys<\/a>, a professor of psychology specializing in addiction at Stanford University, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> the GOP&rsquo;s reduction of Medicaid spending by $1 trillion over the next 10 years, as part of their spending bill last summer, will undermine any stated goals from the administration to help people struggling with addiction.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The biggest payer for addiction treatment, Medicaid, is going to endure historic cuts under the Administration&rsquo;s One Big Beautiful Bill Act,&rdquo; Humphreys said. &ldquo;The noble aspirations expressed in the Executive Order thus lack the funding to be realized.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Taylor&rsquo;s ASAM statement also noted the One Big Beautiful Bill Act&rsquo;s Medicaid work requirements could jeopardize access to addiction treatment. Taylor said the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ought to take special care in implementing the work requirements come January 2027 so as not to cut patients off from critical services.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Erin DeLullo, an advocate on the front lines of the opioid crisis in West Virginia, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> she is wary of the Trump administration following their abrupt cancellation of $2 billion in funding for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which was promptly reinstated after public outcry.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;What we need are leaders willing to commit to a consistent, coherent strategy to address the addiction and drugs epidemic,&rdquo; DeLullo said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Jeff Singer, a medical doctor and health policy expert for the libertarian Cato Institute, wrote in an <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cato.org\/blog\/addiction-central-planning-illusion-recovery-why-trumps-great-american-recovery-initiative\">op-ed on Friday<\/a> that another central problem with the initiative is the administration&rsquo;s framing of addiction as a chronic disease, akin to diabetes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>He says the biomedical research indicates all addiction is a neuropsychological condition of compulsive behavior, despite negative consequences, exacerbated by comorbidities such as autism spectrum disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, ADHD, and PTSD.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>From the policy side, Singer said one of the main problems with opioid addiction treatment in particular is the Drug Enforcement Administration&rsquo;s involvement in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/advocates-fear-trumps-addiction-recovery-initiative-is-an-empty-promise\/\" title=\"Advocates fear Trump&#039;s ... is an empty promise\">sanctioning opioid treatment programs<\/a> for methadone, requiring people to visit a clinic daily instead of getting a prescription from a physician.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Only about 600,000 people in the U.S. were treated with methadone in 2026, despite 8 million people over age 12 meeting the criteria for the treatment protocol.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Singer said Congress ought to resurrect the Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act of 2023, a bipartisan piece of legislation that would have increased access to methadone by allowing patients to get treatment from board-certified specialists in addition to traditional clinics. The bill has not been reintroduced this session.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Taylor told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> that as a clinician, he hopes the Trump administration&rsquo;s focus on recovery will spur Congress to act.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Congress holds the power to meaningfully strengthen access to evidence-based addiction care,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The administration&rsquo;s focus on demand-side interventions should compel federal lawmakers to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/advocates-fear-trumps-addiction-recovery-initiative-is-an-empty-promise-3\/\" title=\"Advocates fear Trump&#039;s ... is an empty promise\">finally pass key legislation<\/a> that continues to improve access to addiction treatment &mdash; one of the initiative&rsquo;s stated goals.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Advocates doubt Trump&#8217;s recovery plan will succeed<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2666,"featured_media":2560740,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AP26029829963615.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[36676,55125,36747,32068,3634],"class_list":["post-2560738","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-addiction-recovery","tag-advocacy-groups","tag-drug-policy","tag-public-health","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AP26029829963615.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2560738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2666"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2560738"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2560738\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2560743,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2560738\/revisions\/2560743"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2560740"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2560738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2560738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2560738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}