U.S. President Donald Trump signed a $1.3 trillion spending bill on March 23 that includes billions of dollars in funding to combat the opioid epidemic.
The new bill allocates an additional $2.6 billion specifically for opioid-related programs. The increase brings the total amount reserved for opioid abuse treatment, prevention, and research to $3.6 billion.
The budget also boosted funds for multiple health agencies. The Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration all received additional funding.
The spending bill funds the federal government through September 30 and averts a government shutdown. Most of the healthcare programs' budgets were extended for two years.
