House Committee Probes States on Use of Federal Opioid Funding

Bipartisan leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee sent letters to 16 states asking for details of how they are using federal funds to combat the opioid crisis.

The letter notes that funding bills for fiscal years 2018 and 2019 included a total of $2.5 billion for states to address the epidemic. The request comes as lawmakers consider more funding for states in 2020.

The members of the E&C committee asked the individual states how much federal funding they’ve received for opioid use disorder prevention, treatment and recovery since 2016. They also want to know how the states allocate federal funding to local governments, and if the funding allows them to focus on the hardest hit parts of their states.