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eNewsletter - February 8, 2008
President’s FY 2009 budget recommends substantial cuts
President Bush’s FY 2009 budget targets a number of federal programs for either elimination or substantial cuts. Most federal drug and alcohol treatment, prevention, research and education programs received requests for nearly level funding or significant cuts under the President’s proposal. All of the programs at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) that provide grants to consumer (mental health) and recovery community organizations, including the Recovery Community Services Program (RCSP) are slated for elimination. Learn more…
The 2009 fiscal year runs from October 1, 2008 until September 30, 2009. Under the President’s FY 2009 request, programs in SAMHSA would receive funding cuts of $198 million, with nearly $99 million in cuts proposed to discretionary funding in the Centers for Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment, and $126 million in proposed cuts to the Center for Mental Health Services.
Health and human service funding would be cut significantly under the President’s budget, with approximately $1 billion proposed to be cut from both the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and the Administration on Children and Families (ACF). Programs receiving discretionary funding in the Department of Health and Human Services would receive $2.2 billion in cuts under the FY 2009 budget. In addition, the President’s budget includes proposals for nearly $200 billion in cuts to Medicare and approximately $17 billion in cuts to Medicaid.
The President’s FY 2009 budget calls for the following funding for drug and alcohol prevention, treatment and research programming:
- The Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block Grant would receive $1.779 billion, a $20 million increase over FY 2008 levels. However, budget documents from the Department of Health and Human Services indicate that this $20 million increase would be used to support “supplemental performance awards” for the top 20 percent of SAPT Block Grant recipients that “demonstrate superior performance in preventing and treatment substance abuse.”
- The Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) would receive $337 million, a decrease of $63 million from FY 2008.
The FY 2009 funding recommendation for CSAT would include:
- $99.7 million to support twenty-four Access to Recovery (ATR) grantees and an evaluation of the program, funding level to FY 2008
- $40 million for drug treatment courts, which would represent a $30 million increase over last year’s funding
- $56 million for substance use screening and brief interventions in medical and other community settings; the Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) program received $29 million in FY 2008
- Zeroed out funding for the Recovery Community Services Program (RCSP)
- The Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) would receive $158 million, a decrease of $36 million from last year’s funding.
The FY 2009 funding recommendation for CSAP would include:
- $95 million for Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) State Incentive Grants
- $7 million for new grants aimed at strengthening the response to emerging drug problems through increased support for prevention efforts
- Zeroed out funding for the STOP Act, aimed at combating underage drinking
- The Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities (SDFSC) State Grants program, which supports community-based prevention programming through the Department of Education, would receive $100 million, a decrease of $194.8 million. The President’s FY 2008 budget also included a recommendation that the SDFSC State Grants program receive $100 million; in addition, the program was slated for elimination in the President's FY 2006 and 2007 budgets.
- The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) would receive $1.002 billion, a nearly $1 million increase over FY 2008.
- The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) would receive $436.68 million, a $0.4 million increase over last year’s funding.
Click here for a chart on the President's FY 2009 Budget Request for Drug and Alcohol Prevention, Treatment, and Research Programming. Thanks to the Legal Action Center for the information on the President’s 2009 Budget proposal.