President Donald Trump signed an executive order yesterday to establish the Great American Recovery Initiative — an interdisciplinary group of officials which will coordinate the federal push against drug and alcohol addiction
“The Great American Recovery Initiative will bring together federal, state, local and private sector resources to support addiction recovery, treatment and prevention,” President Trump explained in a press conference announcing the order.
“It will help mobilize the full resources and authority of the federal government to help stop this tremendous plague.”
The initiative prioritizes three goals:
Preventing addiction
Prioritizing treatment
Celebrating recovery
The president’s executive order empowers the initiative to ensure federal financial resources, recovery programs and messaging about drugs and alcohol effectively support these three priorities.
The initiative will also connect the federal government with local groups, including faith-based groups, fighting drug and alcohol addiction in their communities.
The Great American Recovery Initiative reflects the Trump administration’s position that drug and alcohol addiction negatively affects all Americans.
“Addiction contributes to declining workforce participation, increased healthcare costs, homelessness, family instability and lost productivity that together cost the United States hundreds of billions of dollars each year,” a fact sheet on the initiative emphasizes.
“Recovery is not a side issue,” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reiterated at the press conference. “It’s an economic issue, a workforce issue, a family issue and a national security issue.”
Secretary Kennedy will co-chair the initiative with Kathryn Burgum, the White House’s new Senior Advisor for Addiction Recovery. Both achieved long-term recovery from addiction.
Kennedy and Burgum are just two of several prominent members of the Trump administration affected by drug and alcohol addiction. Steve Witkoff’s, the president’s special envoy to the Middle East, son tragically died of a drug overdose. White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles’ father, Pat Summerall, battled addiction on a national stage. Vice President J.D. Vance’s mom, Beverly Aikins, celebrated 10 years of sobriety in April 2025. President Trump’s brother, Fred Trump, died of a heart attack related to alcohol addiction at just 42 years old.
“These stories matter because they are not isolated,” Burgum explained. “They reflect the reality of over 190 million Americans — that’s half our nation who are impacted in some way by the disease of addiction.”
The Daily Citizen supports federal efforts to prevent addiction and heal families and communities from the lingering consequences.
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