Senators call on President Biden to increase funding and flexibility to address addiction in FY 2022

Recently, a group of nineteen senators, led by Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), sent a letter to President Biden urging him to prioritize increased funding for substance use disorder prevention, and treatment services in the Administration's FY 2022 budget request. Noting the increases in substance use and overdoses during the COVID-19 pandemic, the senators requested the President's support for States, treatment providers, and other entities addressing addiction issues. The lawmakers noted, "In addition to the need for additional emergency funding for opioid and SUD grant programs in future COVID-19 response legislation, we urge you to support additional Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) and State Opioid Response (SOR) grant funding in the FY22 budget, with continued flexibility, to address this crisis."