Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) is spearheading a letter to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), urging them to release delayed funds for overdose prevention immediately.
The CDC runs a program known as Overdose Data to Action (OD2A), which provides over $300 million in federal funds to state, local, and tribal health departments to assist in monitoring, intervening, and preventing drug overdoses in their communities.
However, despite the funds being appropriated since March 2025 in the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, the money has not yet been deployed.
"Communities across the country are confronting a worsening public health crisis, and the uncertainty surrounding critical funding for overdose prevention programs jeopardizes life-saving public
health efforts," said Sen. Gallego in his letter, noting that 2024 alone saw over 80,000 Americans die from drug overdoses according to the CDC's own data.
As a result, Sen. Gallego urged that the appropriated funds be released immediately, along with a written commitment from the CDC stating that overdose prevention remains a top priority of their organization.
"Community overdose prevention programs are on the front lines of combating this public health crisis and rely heavily on these federal funds to deliver life-saving services," the Arizona Senator continued, adding, "It is imperative that all federal funds are distributed without further delay."
In February, Gallego cosponsored the Combating Illicit Xylazine Act, which cracks down on the illegal usage of the animal tranquilizer xylazine as a recreational drug while retaining legal protections for ranchers and veterinarians using it on their animals.
More recently at the beginning of August, the Senator was able to secure funds for public safety services in rural Arizona, including a new fire truck and fire engine in the cities of Bisbee and Superior, respectively, renovation of the Tonto Basin Fire Station and Clarkdale Police station, a new emergency vehicle in the town of Alpine, and flood control planning in the Smith Wash Watershed.
