The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be able to fully fund the Overdose Data to Action or OD2A program ahead of a key budget deadline, according to a CDC senior leader. A second CDC staff member confirmed that “there have been developments and we are likely to have full funding,” although they did not have details on when the funding would become available.
Both spoke to NPR on the condition of anonymity because they fear retribution for speaking to the press without authorization. Some staffers at CDC expressed to NPR that this appeared to be good news, although the funding situation was still fluid and confusing.
PR reported last month that the Trump administration was withholding $140 million from the OD2A program, which state and local public health departments rely on to lower overdose deaths from fentanyl, methamphetamines and other drugs across the U.S.
Previously frozen funding for other CDC programs, including rape and domestic violence prevention, is also getting released, the senior CDC leader said.
Funding, 30 days at a time
The delays were part of a broader issue with funding at CDC. As NPR reported in June, for months, CDC waited for the $9 billion Congress intended for the agency for fiscal year 2025. In the meantime, it received small amounts of money every 30 days to cover payroll and other limited expenses.