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President Trump gave his first address to a joint session of Congress last week.
- Note: This is like a State of the Union address but not called that in the first year of the administration.
The main point: Trump made little mention of substance use/addiction or health care more broadly. When he did touch on it, he framed the opioid crisis as a border issue, not a health issue.
The details:
- Tariffs: He justified the use of tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada to compel those countries to stop fentanyl from coming over the borders (see more below).
- Cartels: Trump credited the threat of tariffs for Mexico agreeing to turn over 29 cartel leaders for prosecution in the U.S. and also noted his designation of Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
The response:
- Trump did not talk about the Medicaid cuts proposed in the House budget blueprint, but Democrats highlighted it in their protests.
- Sens. Schumer, Rosen, and Hassan invited Medicaid beneficiaries as guests. Hassan’s guest was a woman who received addiction care via Medicaid and is now employed with commercial coverage.
Published
March 2025