On July 21st, the House Energy and Commerce Committee marked up a series of bipartisan bills aimed at combating the overdose crisis, preventing the spread of adulterated substances in the drug supply, and expanding overdose prevention efforts. The Committee approved nine bills, which will now advance to the House floor for consideration. The bills include efforts to permanently schedule xylazine, a non-opioid veterinary sedative that is not approved for human use and is incre

On June 10th, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a Request for Information (RFI), seeking public comment on effective research, programs, policies, and new ideas to improve prevention, treatment, and recovery services for substance use and mental health disorders. The RFI supports the Great American Recovery Initiative and seeks recommendations that can be implemented using existing funding. Comments are due by July 5, 2026. The RFI poses five questio

On June 9th, the House Appropriations Committee marked up the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor HHS) bill. The House Appropriations Committee voted 34 to 28 in favor of the bill, advancing it to the House floor. The bill provides funding for key agencies and programs inside the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that address and research substance use and mental health disorder programs, including the National Institutes of He

The Addiction Policy Forum and 146 national, state, and local organizations from across the country sent a letter urging Congress to continue funding for substance use disorder programs in the FY2027 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS) appropriations bill. The national sign-on letter calls on Congress to maintain funding for key federal agencies and programs that address substance use disorder (SUD) and mental health disorders across