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A new report shows drug overdose deaths are declining in the United States, but some fear that progress could be in jeopardy as President Donald Trump proposes steep cuts to the federal agency dedicated to fighting substance abuse. An estimated 80,000 people died from overdoses in 2024, according to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Wednesday. That’s 30,000 fewer than 2023. It comes as Trump’s budget request proposes reducing spending for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration by more than $1 billion.“It will devastate the entire framework of care and network of services,�� said Laura Guzman, executive director of the National Harm Reduction Coalition.Congressional Democrats echoed those concerns on Capitol Hill on Wednesday when Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared before House and Senate committees. "Overdose is still stealing a generation in this country. So why in God's name are we shuttering SAMHSA?�� asked Rep. Madeleine Dean, a Democrat from Pennsylvania."We are not shuttering SAMHSA, and I share your concerns, and I’m anxious to work with you on this particular problem. I’m fully committed to it because of my own history," said Kennedy, who has been open about his past struggles with heroin addiction and recovery. Kennedy is overseeing a “dramatic restructuring�� of HHS that aims to cut 20,000 full-time employees, according to the plan announced in March. The agency did not respond to emailed questions about how many staff will be cut from SAMHSA specifically under the overhaul. Part of that plan would merge SAMHSA with several other branches under HHS to create a new agency called the Administration for a Healthy America. "What we want to do is we want to shift that function into a place where we are going to be able to administrate it more efficiently,�� Kennedy told lawmakers. Kennedy said “most of the programs that support addiction�� would remain intact, including funding for the overdose reversal medication naloxone and opioid use disorder treatments like methadone and suboxone. He said SAMHSA operates 500 rehab centers under Medicaid, and those will also remain open. The Trump administration did not respond to questions about earlier reports that HHS planned to cut funding for programs that make naloxone available to communities and train first responders to administer the antidote. SAMHSA referred questions to the White House press office, which did not respond. The president’s initial budget request, which was released earlier this month, does not provide a full breakdown of where spending cuts would come from. A brief description says that the administration “is committed to combating the scourge of deadly drugs that have ravaged American communities.�� It says the budget “proposes to refocus activities that were formerly part of SAMHSA and reduce waste by eliminating inefficient funding for the Mental Health Programs of Regional and National Significance, Substance Use Prevention Programs of Regional and National Significance, and the Substance Use Treatment Programs of Regional and National Significance.”The proposal also criticizes “dangerous activities billed as harm reduction�� under the Biden administration, including funding for “safe smoking kits�� and sterile syringes aimed at preventing the spread of disease among drug users. Amid controversy, the Biden administration clarified in 2022 that tax dollars would not be spent on pipes for smoking crack cocaine. "Labeling harm reduction as ‘dangerous�� is so dangerous because what harm reduction has done for over 30 years is save lives,�� said Guzman. The president’s budget request is considered a statement of priorities. It requires congressional approval, although the Trump administration has taken steps to cut programs without permission from lawmakers in several cases.Asked Wednesday during a brief encounter with reporters if the proposed cuts to SAMHSA are being considered, chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, Bill Cassidy, R-La., said, "The committee has not talked about that." A committee spokesperson said he had nothing to add in response to follow-up questions sent via email. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., had a different message during Wednesday’s hearing. “Eighty thousand people died last year. This is not about efficiency. This is about cruelty,�� Markey told Kennedy. “You’re slashing programs that families need right now.��