Trone Hails Biden Administration’s $2.5 Billion Investment in Mental Health and Addiction Services
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Hannah Muldavin, Hannah.Muldavin@mail.house.gov
Trone Hails Biden Administration’s $2.5 Billion Investment in Mental Health and Addiction Services
Maryland to Receive More than $48 Million in Federal Funding
WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman David Trone (MD-06) hailed the Biden Administration’s announcement that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) would provide nearly $2.5 billion to states to address the worsening mental health and addiction crises across the country. Maryland is set to receive more than $48 million in funding.
“As we work towards getting our country past the COVID-19 virus, the addiction and mental health epidemics left in its wake will continue to manifest in our communities. We’ve got to do everything we can to provide treatment and support to our fellow Americans seeking recovery,” said Congressman David Trone. “This funding from the Biden Administration is a down payment on the comprehensive approach we must take to tackle these diseases. I look forward to partnering with the Biden Administration in Congress as a Member of the Appropriations Committee to ensure we don’t forget about those who are struggling with mental health conditions and addiction.”
To support community treatment, prevention, and recovery services, SAMHSA will direct $1.65 billion in funding to the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant funding and $825 million to the Community Mental Health Services Block Grant funding. Maryland is set to receive $31,943,446 for the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant and $16,100,385 for the Community Mental Health Services Block Grant.
The Community Mental Health Services Block Grant program provides money to states to support community mental health services.
The Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant program provides money to states to allocate to community prevention, treatment, and recovery support services.
Congressman Trone’s Work to End the Addiction and Mental Health Crises
Trone has made ending the addiction crisis his top priority as a Member of Congress. He founded the Freshmen Working Group on Addiction, a bipartisan group of 65 Members of Congress dedicated to that aim. In 2020, Speaker Pelosi appointed Trone to the National Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking.
In the 116th Congress, Trone introduced several bills to combat the mental health and addiction crises. Three of those bills, the State Opioid Response Grant Authorization Act, the Family Support Services for Addiction Act, and the FENTANYL Results Act were passed by the House of Representatives.
In the 117th Congress, Trone has continued the fight against these crises. In February, he introduced the Opioid Patients’ Right to Know Act to help prevent opioid addiction across the country. He also introduced the Family Support Services for Addiction Act to assist non-profit organizations that provide family support services for addiction treatment, and the Preventing Mental Health and Substance Use Crises During Emergencies Act to create a joint task force to prevent mental health crises triggered by public health emergencies.
Trone also led a bipartisan coalition of nearly 80 lawmakers to urge Congressional leadership to provide $10 billion in funding for mental health disorder and substance use disorder prevention and treatment in the next COVID relief package.
Congressman David Trone was elected to the House of Representatives in November 2018 to serve the 6th District of Maryland, which includes all or part of Montgomery, Frederick, Washington, Allegany, and Garrett Counties. Trone serves on the Appropriations, Veterans’ Affairs, and Joint Economic Committees in the 117th Congress and previously served on the Education and Labor, Foreign Affairs, and Joint Economic Committees. In Congress, Trone is fighting to make progress on issues that matter to Marylanders, including the opioid epidemic, criminal justice reform, and funding for medical research.
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