Washington D.C. – In their latest affront to preventive services, the Trump-RFK Jr. HHS has suddenly abandoned its commitment to funding “test strips used to determine if illicit drugs contain deadly contaminants including fentanyl will no longer be covered by federal funding … leaving public health organizations worried that the U.S. will lose the progress it has made combatting fatal overdoses.”
“While Donald Trump’s cheerleaders in Congress are cooking up legislation to pay for his $400 million White House ballroom with taxpayer money, now suddenly the Trump HHS says they can’t afford $1 test strips that have likely prevented thousands of fentanyl deaths,” said Kayla Hancock, Director of Protect Our Care’s Public Health Project. “RFK Jr. loves to talk a big game on how prevention is as important as treatment, and yet he’s sidelined and undermined his Preventive Services Task Force for over a year and is ripping away life-saving test strips from communities ravaged by addiction. There always seems to be plenty of money for Trump’s pet projects, wars, and billionaire tax breaks, but when it comes to basic preventive health needs that keep Americans alive, they can’t even muster up any thoughts and prayers.”
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