As President Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill slowly makes its way through the Senate, I, among others, have spent a good deal of time wondering, why does this bill seem so overwhelming?

There is much within this bill that scares me. Aside from the almost $150 billion in new funding to the Department of Defense, the bill features seemingly inexplicable cuts to programs that are incredibly beneficial to many of the roughly 46.3 million people in the United States who experience substance use disorder. One proposed program on the chopping block: $56 million from programs which train and equip first responders with naloxone — otherwise known as Narcan — a life-saving drug. 

While hidden in a $33.3 billion reduction of the budget of the Department of Health and Human Services, this relatively small cut is worth paying attention to. 

Naloxone is a drug that works rapidly to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. The drug works by attaching to opioid receptors and reversing the effects of opioids that someone may have taken. Taking naloxone may restore breathing to someone whose breathing has slowed or stopped due to an opioid overdose.

This proposal is somewhat mind-boggling. This program is seemingly not large enough to make a dent into the department’s budget, yet it is highly significant to the people who will be impacted by it, some of the most vulnerable people in our country. 

Of course, with an understanding of how much Trump campaigned on the issue of drugs, especially those  coming across the southern border, it is hypocritical of the Trump administration to slash the budget for a life-saving drug overdose treatment. 

Narcan use and distribution has been hugely significant in reducing the levels of overdose deaths, bringing them back to pre-pandemic levels. A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control exploring Provisional Drug Overdose Death Counts, shows drug overdose deaths declining for the first time in decades, with a drop of almost 24% in deaths in 2024. However, this does not necessarily mean we should slow our efforts. 

Narcan has also been one of the most effective tools against synthetic opioids, specifically fentanyl. Synthetic opioids have been shown to be largely more potent than natural opioids, and they are often cut into the drug supply, causing people to overdose without even being aware they were exposed to fentanyl.

Equipping first responders with Narcan is one of the few ways to ensure the safety of not only people who consciously use opioids, but also our whole communities. Although overdose deaths have seen a drop off, there are still over 80,000 Americans dying from drug overdoses each year. The removal of this program puts lives on the line.

Although this cut would be significant, it is important to note that California has independent efforts to provide and distribute Narcan. Angelenos can pick up Narcan at many public libraries, many of which also offer clinics to train individuals in how to use Narcan. 

Cutting federal funding for Narcan programs is exemplary of a concerning trend within this administration. Along with the closure of the Job Corps program, and significant reductions to Medicare access that are present within the budget bill, the Trump administration is destroying our social safety net from the bottom up. 

If you find yourself having a hard time staying cognizant of everything the Trump administration is jeopardizing, it may help to focus on what we can affect. We may not be able to fight every cut, every closing or every cancellation. But paying attention to the changes that affect the livelihoods of the most at-risk members of our community is a good place to start.