Religion & Culture · Labor·January 30, 2026
Trump signs executive order creating 15-member addiction board with no new federal funding
RFK Jr. co-chairs panel, directs agencies to reallocate existing grant money instead of requesting new appropriations
President Trump signed the executive order on Jan. 29, 2026.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Kathryn Burgum co-chair the initiative.
The 15-member board includes Attorney General Pam Bondi, White House Drug Control Policy Director Sara Carter, and CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz.
Kennedy said addiction is a disease, not a moral failure, and called for science and compassion over silence and stigma.
The executive order does not appropriate any new federal funding for addiction treatment.
The order directs federal agencies to realign and coordinate their existing grant programs.
STAT News reported the announcement contained no promises of new funding and was light on details.
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