The Biden-Harris administration’s proposed 2025 federal budget marks a pivotal moment in the fight against substance use and opioid overdoses. With an unprecedented $21.8 billion proposed to expand access to treatment, prevention, and recovery resources, the Biden 2025 budget substance use plan represents one of the most comprehensive federal responses to the addiction crisis in U.S. history.
“This budget builds on the largest investment in behavioral health in a generation,” said U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra in his remarks to Congress. The proposed funding not only aims to expand treatment for substance use disorders (SUDs) but also seeks to dismantle systemic barriers that have long limited access to care—especially for the nation’s most vulnerable populations.
Eliminating barriers to treatment access
A cornerstone of the Biden 2025 budget substance use strategy is the continued expansion of access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD). Building upon the administration’s elimination of the X-Waiver—a move that allowed almost two million providers to prescribe MAT medications—the new budget seeks to further close the treatment gap by investing billions into community-based services and harm reduction strategies.
This includes strengthening local treatment infrastructure, funding peer-run support programs, and increasing the availability of overdose reversal drugs like Narcan in housing and public spaces.
Insurance accountability and network adequacy
The Biden 2025 budget substance use proposal also includes critical measures to ensure insurance companies play their part in expanding access to care. It proposes new requirements for accurate provider directories and adequate behavioral health networks, addressing a long-standing issue where individuals are unable to find in-network providers or timely care.
Additionally, the budget enhances the enforcement authority of the Department of Labor to hold large group health plans accountable to mental health and SUD parity laws—ensuring these services are covered just as thoroughly as physical health care.
Strengthening the state opioid response grant program
The State Opioid Response (SOR) grant program is another major component of the Biden 2025 budget substance use agenda. This program helps states build and sustain access to MOUD (medications for opioid use disorder), prevention services, harm reduction efforts, and recovery supports. Increased federal funding would allow states to better serve high-need communities and build comprehensive care networks capable of adapting to local trends.
Prioritizing veterans and women’s behavioral health
Veterans are among the groups most impacted by the overdose crisis, and the Biden 2025 budget substance use plan earmarks $713 million for veteran-focused initiatives. These funds will support both prevention and treatment, as well as the launch of a new technical assistance center focused on women’s behavioral health and substance use—a long-overlooked area of care.
The budget also emphasizes the importance of peer-run programs by expanding training and support services through technical assistance centers. These centers are crucial for integrating peers with lived experience into formal treatment settings, creating deeper trust and engagement in recovery programs.
Fentanyl and synthetic drug prevention
An alarming surge in synthetic opioids—some even more potent than fentanyl—has become a major driver of overdose deaths in recent years. As part of the Biden 2025 budget substance use plan, nearly $170 million is proposed to counter the manufacturing and trafficking of synthetic opioids.
These funds would be used to bolster Customs and Border Protection staffing, enhance drug detection efforts, and support investigations into criminal drug networks operating across borders. These preventative measures build on previous requests made by the administration in late 2023, forming a more aggressive strategy to cut off supply chains at their source.
CDC’s role in public health and prevention
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has requested $9.7 billion in discretionary funding under the Biden 2025 budget substance use framework. These funds would be used to expand opioid crisis monitoring, support children’s mental health programs, and advance research on substance use and suicide prevention.
“CDC’s FY 2025 President’s Budget request outlines investments that will strengthen our nation’s ability to prevent and respond to any health threat, from infectious diseases to overdoses,” said CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen.
The CDC’s work will be instrumental in identifying trends early, providing real-time data, and guiding resource allocation to areas hit hardest by the crisis.
A national shift toward wellness
The Biden 2025 budget substance use initiative represents a fundamental shift in national priorities—from reactive responses to proactive wellness strategies. As Secretary Becerra noted, “This budget lays out a vision for a nation that invests in all aspects of health, fosters innovation, and supports its most vulnerable.”
If passed, the budget would reshape the behavioral health system by increasing accountability, expanding treatment access, and investing in upstream prevention efforts. It also acknowledges that solving the overdose crisis requires a multi-pronged approach—one that includes law enforcement, public health, community organizations, and healthcare providers working in coordination.
Looking ahead
The stakes have never been higher. Substance use disorders continue to claim lives and strain families, communities, and healthcare systems across the country. The Biden 2025 budget substance use proposal stands as a clear and urgent response to these challenges—backed by data, informed by experience, and designed to save lives.
By addressing prevention, treatment, enforcement, and equity all at once, this budget offers the kind of comprehensive strategy experts and advocates have long called for. Whether you’re a provider, policymaker, or concerned citizen, the coming months will be critical in shaping how the nation confronts the ongoing substance use crisis.
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