Members of New Hampshire’s congressional delegation are praising a temporary spending proposal that will shift more money toward the nation’s opioid crisis and other initiatives.
A bipartisan congressional spending plan unveiled Monday is far different from the budget proposed by President Donald Trump. Where Trump had proposed cutting money from agencies including the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the National Institutes of Health, Democratic and Republican budget writers have agreed to go in a different direction.
The proposed $1 trillion spending bill that will keep the government running until September includes $3.8 billion in funding for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency.
The legislation includes a $882 million increase for treatment and $35.5 million more for Department of Justice programs including the COPS Anti-Heroin program and the DEA Heroin Enforcement Teams initiative.
The temporary spending bill also will increase the budget of the National Institutes of Health by $2 billion. That money contains $650 million specifically meant to fight opioid abuse.
New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and Rep. Annie Kuster praised the move in statements released Monday.
“After this legislation is signed into law, it will be critical that this new funding be distributed to those who need it most on the frontlines,” Shaheen said. “I look forward to my ongoing discussions with the Trump administration to make sure that, as this funding is allocated, states like New Hampshire that are reeling from this epidemic, are appropriately prioritized.”
Kuster said she was pleased Congress could come to a bipartisan agreement about spending priorities.
“This bipartisan funding bill that we are considering is an example of how compromise should work in Washington,” Kuster said. “While this bill isn’t everything I would have liked to see, it is the result of good faith compromise and hard work.”
The House and Senate are expected to vote on the temporary spending bill this week.
(Ella Nilsen can be reached at 369-3322, enilsen@cmonitor.com or on Twitter
@ella_nilsen.)