'Crisis was finally easing’: NYT torches Trump as opioid relapse threatens

The New York Times editorial board scorched President Donald Trump's administration for its stance on opioids in a new op-ed published on Thursday.

For years, America's opioid crisis has improved, the editorial board argued, citing a 25% decline in overdose deaths between 2023 and 2024 as treatments like Narcan and Suboxone became easier to access. As the editorial board described it, "the crisis was finally easing."

But that changed when Trump signed his domestic policy bill into law earlier this year, the op-ed contends. The law deprives millions of health insurance, and people with substance abuse disorders could lose access to their treatments and relapse.

"Mr. Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and other Republican leaders have rightly described opioids as a national tragedy that demands action," the op-ed reads in part. "Instead of taking steps to continue the recent progress, however, they are undermining it."

"This is one more way in which they are failing to live up to their promise to govern as champions of the working class that voted for them in large numbers last year," it adds.

The editorial board also called on Congress to fix some of the more onerous parts of Trump's budget and policy bill. For instance, the editorial board said they could reverse the cuts to Medicaid since they are not scheduled to take place until 2026.

Read the entire op-ed by clicking here.