Henrico Times

Ahead of State of the Union, Spanberger Joins Bipartisan, Bicameral Effort Urging President Biden to Reinstate Director of ONDCP to Cabinet-Level Position

U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger — a member of the Bipartisan Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Task Force — sent a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to reinstate the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to a cabinet-level position.

Between 2019 and 2021, overdose deaths increased by almost 60 percent and have reached record levels in Virginia. Drug overdoses are now the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 45.

In a letter to President Biden, Spanberger and 54 of her colleagues urged the President to elevate the ONDCP Director to more effectively coordinate drug control efforts across federal agencies and help end the opioid epidemic, which he outlined as a top priority in his Unity Agenda during his 2022 State of the Union address. Reinstating the ONDCP Director to the President’s Cabinet would strengthen the U.S. response to the opioid epidemic — and is consistent with the same recommendation made by the U.S. Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking in February 2022.

“We were pleased that, in your State of the Union address last year, you identified ending the opioid epidemic as your top priority in the Unity Agenda,” wrote Spanberger and her colleagues. “However, we have not yet broken the trend of rising overdose deaths, and patterns in overdose deaths are constantly evolving, as evidenced by the growing challenges related to xylazine.”

The lawmakers continued, “As Members of Congress, we are doing our best to address this crisis, but we urge you to take every action within your authority to prevent further loss of life. Reinstatement of the ONDCP Director to the Cabinet would be a meaningful step in improving interagency collaboration and the effectiveness of drug control programs across the federal government. It is time to restore the Director to a Cabinet position to address the drug crisis with the full force of this Administration and those that follow.”

The ONDCP is responsible for the development and implementation of the National Drug Control Strategy and Budget. The office coordinates across 19 federal agencies and oversees $41 billion to address substance use disorder. In 1993, President Bill Clinton elevated the head of ONDCP to serve on his cabinet and the position held cabinet-level status until 2009.

The letter is led by U.S. Representatives David Trone (D-MD-06), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01), and Annie Kuster (D-NH-02), as well as U.S. Senator Ed Markey (D-MA).

Click here to read the letter, and the full letter text is below.

Original source can be found here