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At the end of last week, Congress passed a continuing resolution spending bill to avert a government shutdown.
The details: The bill would fund the government through September, the end of the fiscal year. It would slash non-defense spending by nearly $13 billion.
The response: Democrats largely opposed the bill due to the cuts in non-defense spending and because it does not protect spending appropriated by Congress from being cut or otherwise changed by President Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Why it’s important: Rather than keep the government funded at current levels, as continuing resolutions often do, it would cut funding, including for addiction and other health-related services.
- It eliminates funding for various congressionally directed spending items, including mental health and addiction programs, and it cuts $13 million from the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).
- It gives the Trump administration more discretion over spending decisions, which could allow for cuts to additional mental health and addiction programs.
- But: A government shutdown would have given the administration even more power over spending. It was possible the administration could have chosen not to reopen certain agencies it has wanted to dismantle.
Published
March 2025