Overview
- President Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 29 establishing the Great American Recovery Initiative to align the federal response to substance use disorders.
- The initiative will be co‑chaired by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Kathryn Burgum, with participation from cabinet officials and agency heads across health, justice, labor, housing, veterans affairs and more.
- The mandate includes setting national objectives, integrating prevention through re‑entry services, issuing data‑driven public updates, advising on grantmaking, and consulting state, tribal, local, community, faith, private and philanthropic partners.
- Coverage notes the announcement included no new funding or detailed timelines and highlighted overlap with the existing Office of National Drug Control Policy; Kennedy said further announcements are expected next week.
- The rollout follows turmoil at SAMHSA, where the administration canceled and then quickly reinstated roughly $2 billion in grants, and comes as the White House frames addiction as a chronic, treatable disease alongside continued emphasis on enforcement metrics.