Following Defunding Reports, Shaheen and Hassan Introduce Legislation to Preserve and Protect the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)

**ONDCP oversees the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area and the Drug Free Communities grant programs that are critical to New Hampshire’s efforts to combat the opioid epidemic**

 **Earlier this month, reports indicated that the Trump administration plans to effectively eliminate ONDCP in its upcoming budget proposal**

(Washington DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) introduced legislation to reauthorize the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), which directs the National Drug Control Strategy and acts as the lead federal agency working to coordinate policy to combat the opioid epidemic. Earlier this month, reports indicated that the Trump administration’s pending budget proposal would effectively eliminate ONDCP, which oversees the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) and Drug Free Communities programs. The legislation introduced by Shaheen and Hassan would reauthorize ONDCP, increase funding for successful programs, and streamline the office to ensure efficient use of resources.

“The Office of National Drug Control Policy and the programs it oversees are integral to New Hampshire’s efforts to stem the tide of the opioid epidemic,” said Senator Shaheen. “Granite Staters and our first responders rely on Drug Free Communities and HIDTA programs and, as we continue to battle this crippling epidemic, New Hampshire absolutely cannot afford to lose these effective tools. Defunding ONDCP would be a reckless and shortsighted move that would pull the rug out from under the critical federal opioid response efforts in New Hampshire and across the country. Congress should pass this important reauthorization to ensure that communities across the country can receive the federal resources they need to end this crisis.”

“The Office of National Drug Control Policy helps coordinate policy across the federal government and administers grant funding – including the Drug Free Communities and High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area programs – that are critical to our efforts to combat the heroin, fentanyl, and opioid crisis in New Hampshire,” Senator Hassan said. “The Trump Administration’s proposal to effectively eliminate the ONDCP is not fiscally responsible, it’s dangerous and would significantly roll back our efforts to stem the tide of this crisis. I will work with Senator Shaheen and members of both parties to pass this reauthorization and get much-needed support to those on the front lines battling this crisis.”

Shaheen and Hassan’s legislation would also increase HIDTA authorization by $10 million. HIDTA provides assistance to federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions in the U.S.