Following Calls from Shaheen, Hassan and Colleagues, Government Accountability Office to Review Trump Administration’s Response to the Opioid Crisis

WASHINGTON – In response to calls from Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Maggie Hassan, and 17 other colleagues, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) announced that it will review the Trump Administration’s response to the opioid crisis. The Senators’ request for the GAO investigation followed reports that the Trump Administration has taken little substantive action to step up efforts to combat the opioid crisis since the President declared it a public health emergency.   

“After many empty promises from President Trump to implement a federal response to fight the opioid epidemic that prioritizes treatment assistance, I’m pleased that the Government Accountability Office has heeded our call and is launching a thorough review,” said Senator Shaheen. “Our families, first responders and recovery experts need the resources to turn the tide of this crisis, and the Administration should make good on its pledge to support relief efforts. I’m also hopeful that this investigation will further shed light on what additional actions may be available to help our communities that have yet to be considered.”   

“While I appreciate that President Trump has called the opioid crisis a public health emergency, we need those words to be backed up by real actions,” Senator Hassan said. “I am encouraged that the Government Accountability Office has agreed to our calls for a review into the steps the Trump Administration has taken since declaring the crisis a public health emergency and whether there are additional powers and resources that are not being used. People on the front lines of this crisis need our help, and I will keep working to hold the Administration accountable and ensure that the federal government is doing everything it can to combat this devastating crisis.”   

See more below from Politico:

GAO WILL PROBE TRUMP'S EMERGENCY RESPONSE TO THE OPIOID CRISIS — The Government Accountability Office will open an investigation into the Trump administration's response to the opioid crisis at the request of Senate Democrats, according to a GAO letter shared with POLITICO's Brianna Ehley.

Senators in January asked GAO to review actions taken by the administration to address the crisis following reports that little of consequence had been done in the wake of the president's emergency declaration in October. The Trump administration, for its part, has maintained that addressing the opioid crisis is a top priority for the president.

— The announcement of the probe comes as the White House is preparing to host this afternoon's opioids summit, in which members of the cabinet will discuss how they are working to address the crisis.

"I'm glad the GAO is stepping in," Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said in an emailed statement to POLITICO. "President Trump needs to be held accountable for his failure to meaningfully address the opioid crisis. If this Administration is serious about tackling this epidemic, they need to put their money where their mouth is."

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