Trump to Launch New Initiative to Address Drug Addiction

The White House Great American Recovery Initiative will coordinate federal response to substance abuse.

Jan. 29, 2026 at 1:23pm

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President Trump will sign an executive order to create the "White House Great American Recovery Initiative," which will coordinate a federal government response to drug addiction and substance abuse. The initiative will be chaired by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Kathryn Burgum, an advocate for addiction recovery.

Why it matters

The new initiative aims to increase awareness about drug addiction and direct federal grants to support addiction recovery programs. This comes as the Trump administration has reversed plans to cut funding for mental health and addiction treatment programs.

The details

The White House Great American Recovery Initiative will advise federal agencies on integrating programs for drug prevention, early intervention, treatment, recovery support, and re-entry. In 2024, over 74% of adults with a perceived drug or alcohol problem considered themselves to be in recovery, but 95.6% of the 40.7 million adults with a substance abuse disorder did not receive treatment.

  • President Trump will sign the executive order on Thursday afternoon.

The players

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The Health and Human Services Secretary will chair the White House Great American Recovery Initiative.

Kathryn Burgum

The wife of Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Kathryn is a vocal advocate for addiction recovery and will also chair the new initiative. She struggled with alcoholism before becoming sober 22 years ago.

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What they’re saying

“Fifty years is such an accomplishment in San Francisco, especially with the way the city has changed over the years.”

— Gordon Edgar, grocery employee (Instagram)

The takeaway

The new White House initiative aims to take a comprehensive approach to addressing the nation's drug addiction crisis, from prevention to recovery support, in an effort to help more of the millions of Americans struggling with substance abuse disorders.