President Donald Trump plans to declare a national state of emergency in response to the opioid crisis, a move that could potentially fast-track several initiatives intended to reduce overdose deaths and expand access to drug treatment across the country.Trump announced Thursday at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, that his staff is "drafting up paperwork" to formalize the state of emergency. It was an abrupt change of course from earlier in the week, when Health Secretary Tom Price told reporters the opioid crisis could be "addressed without the declaration of an emergency."
Trump's move follows through on a recommendation issued July 31 by a White House commission led by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who is currently on vacation in Italy and wasn't present when the president revealed his plan.
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