Schumer Blasts Trump Proposal To Cut Drug-Policy Office's Budget
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — Sen. Charles Schumer is criticizing a Trump administration proposal to cut the budget of the Office of National Drug Control Policy by 95 percent.
"The president goes out and talks about how important it is to fight drugs," the Senate Minority Leader said Sunday. "I'm glad he's doing that, and then his budget is going to propose 95 percent of a cut in one of the most effective and cost effective ways we can fight the drug scourge."
Several news organizations obtained a memo from the White House Office of Management and Budget on Friday that proposed slashing the drug office's budget from $388 million to $24 million.
A White House spokeswoman, Sarah Sanders, downplayed the proposed changes and said the opioid epidemic is "a top priority" for Trump.
Schumer also announced his support for a bipartisan plan to cut off the flow of the synthetic opioid fentanyl into the U.S.
The proposed cuts would come at a time when New York City saw 1,300 overdose deaths last year, WCBS 880's Myles Miller reported.
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)