Senator Reverend Warnock is pushing to preserve funding for programs that track and consolidate overdose data to support public safety and health efforts
The program can link first responders to a mapping tool in order to trigger a real-time response to information on the ground. In Georgia, every county has at least one participating agency
The Office of National Drug Control Policy coordinates the nation’s drug policy with the goal of improving the health and lives of the American people
According to the agency, the Administration proposes shrinking the HIDTA budget from nearly $300 million to $196 million in Fiscal Year 2026
Washington, D.C. –– Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) urged Office of National Drug Control Policy Senior Official Jon E. Rice to protect the health and welfare of all Georgians by preserving funding for the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program, including its Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program (ODMAP) and drug prevention programs in the National Drug Control Strategy. The Senator emphasized the adverse impact of the illegal drug crisis on American families, and the important work that HIDTA does to combat this problem.
According to agency budget submissions, the Administration proposes shrinking the HIDTA budget from nearly $300 million to $196 million in Fiscal Year 2026.
The HIDTA program operates ODMAP, which tracks and consolidates overdose data from jurisdictions across the United States to support public safety and health efforts. The program can link first responders to a mapping tool in order to trigger a real-time response to information on the ground. In Georgia, every county has at least one participating agency.
“I believe that incarceration alone will not solve the opioid crisis,” the Senator wrote, “However, I support smart, targeted interventions to prevent and stop the flow of fentanyl in our communities, such as the HIDTA program. As the Office of National Drug Control Policy continues developing the National Drug Control Strategy, I urge you to preserve funding and resourcing for ODMAP, as well as the HIDTA priorities more broadly, including prevention programs.”
Senator Warnock is an advocate for fighting the opioid epidemic and illegal drug crisis. As a pastor, he has walked with families through addiction and seen how much worse it is when a loved one is swept up in the legal system and denied the treatment they desperately need. In 2023, 2024, and 2025, he supported efforts urging Senate appropriators to increase screening capabilities for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to detect deadly illicit fentanyl crossing our nation’s borders and has also supported funding for the HIDTA program specifically.
Read the full text of the letter HERE and below:
Dear Mr. Rice,
Thank you for requesting input on the National Drug Control Strategy (“Strategy”). I urge that the Strategy include and preserve funding for the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program, including its innovative Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program (ODMAP) and drug prevention programs.
I have long held that spread of illegal drugs, including opioids, is a scourge on American families. I agree that innovative research and data is necessary to support drug control strategies, as stated in the President’s Drug Policy Priority #6.
I believe that the HIDTA program, which I have supported as a member of the U.S. Senate, can help support this priority by providing crucial resources to law enforcement and local governments. These include training and information coordination.
For example, the Washington/Baltimore HIDTA operates the Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program. ODMAP tracks and consolidates overdose data from jurisdictions across the United States to support public safety and health efforts. The program can link first responders to a mapping tool in order to trigger a real-time response to information on the ground. In Georgia, every county has at least one participating agency, and the Washington/Baltimore HIDTA continues to develop new features. ODMAP is the type of program that “[innovates] in research and data to support drug control strategies,” one of the 2026 Drug Policy Priorities.
Beyond information sharing, HIDTAs also provide important programs related to drug prevention, especially for students. This work supports the President’s Drug Policy Priority #4: preventing drug use among young people.
According to agency budget submissions, the Administration proposes shrinking the HIDTA budget from nearly $300 million to $196 million in Fiscal Year 2026. I am concerned that this proposed cut in HIDTA funding may lead to the end of ODMAP and other important programs.
I believe that incarceration alone will not solve the opioid crisis. However, I support smart, targeted interventions to prevent and stop the flow of fentanyl in our communities, such as the HIDTA program. As the Office of National Drug Control Policy continues developing the National Drug Control Strategy, I urge you to preserve funding and resourcing for ODMAP, as well as the HIDTA priorities more broadly, including prevention programs.
Thank you for your work on this important issue.
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