While we understand the need for the federal government to get spending under control, proposed cuts to drug-fighting efforts are bad news for West Virginia.
The Trump Administration is proposing slashing the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) budget from $380 million to $24 million. That will render it basically useless.
In the midst of a drug epidemic of historic proportion, where more and more of our young people die each day before they can seek treatment, the 95 percent cut is utterly ridiculous.
Two programs that are currently employed in West Virginia to combat the surge in drugs will be affected: Drug-Free Communities Support Program and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) programs, according to Wilson Harvey, a staff writer for The Exponent Telegram.
Those programs help provide law enforcement with additional funding to help curtail drug trafficking. While the cut probably won’t end investigations, it could hamper them by cutting manpower or available man hours.
That would be unacceptable, according to many of the state’s representatives who vow to fight the plan.
“The Office of National Drug Control Policy plays a major role in coordinating federal efforts to combat drug abuse and addiction,” U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said. “We cannot drastically cut important programs that are helping communities fight back. Now, more than ever, we need every resource available to help our local law enforcement and community prevention efforts.”
U.S. Rep. David McKinley, R-WVa., has been a huge influence in helping area counties earn designation as a high-trafficking area so that they can receive the funding boost. To him, the cutbacks make no sense.
“In the midst of a drug epidemic ravaging our communities, we should not be taking valuable resources away from anti-drug efforts,” he said. “Reclaiming our streets from drug traffickers is a key component to addressing the opioid crisis, along with education, prevention and treatment.
“The HIDTA program has been a useful resource for law enforcement in communities across West Virginia and the entire country. We have been strong advocates for the program in the past and will continue to support it in the future,” McKinley said.
We’re hopeful the Trump administration and other lawmakers will heed Capito’s and McKinley’s pleas and that the budget cut proposal goes nowhere.
While cuts are needed, this proposal will cause more harm than good. It may save a few tax dollars but cost hundreds of lives right here in the Mountain State.
The Trump administration should heed that advice and move in a different direction.
