February 3, 2026- On January 29, 2026, President Trump issued an Executive Order establishing the Great American Recovery Initiative which acknowledges the profound and far reaching impact of addiction across our nation. Nearly 48.4 million Americans are living with addiction, a chronic and treatable disease that continues to devastate families, strain communities, and weaken our workforce and economy. The decision to prioritize addiction recovery at the federal level is both necessary and overdue.
But I must emphasize this with absolute clarity:
The success of this initiative depends on immediate, direct, and ongoing partnership with national recovery organizations that have led this movement for decades.
The Executive Order calls for consultation with states, tribal governments, local agencies, faith communities, and community-based organizations. This is critical—but it is not sufficient. National nonprofits like Faces & Voices of Recovery provide the connective tissue between federal policy and real-world conditions in recovery communities. Our networks of recovery-centered organizations bring innovation, lived experience, expert training, data-driven strategies, and a grounded understanding of what individuals and families need to sustain long-term recovery.
We urge the Administration to quickly formalize structured engagement with national recovery leaders so that this initiative reflects the realities on the ground and benefits from decades of collective expertise.
We must also confront an urgent truth: federal funding for addiction recovery has not kept pace with the level of need. Instability within the national behavioral health system—including recent disruptions at SAMHSA involving widespread layoffs and the abrupt cancellation and reinstatement of thousands of grants—has shaken the very infrastructure that communities depend on.
Recovery support services—peer support, recovery housing, recovery high schools and collegiate recovery programs, recovery-friendly employers, recovery community centers, and parent/child programs—are proven, effective, and essential. But they require consistent, long-term federal investment, not temporary or unpredictable funding streams. Without sustainable infrastructure, we cannot build the recovery-ready nation this crisis demands.
The Great American Recovery Initiative has the potential to be transformative. But transformation requires partnership, stability, and investment. It demands that the voices of people in recovery, peer leaders, and community organizations—not just policymakers—shape the national strategy.
Faces & Voices of Recovery stands ready to partner with the Administration, federal agencies, and allied organizations across the country. Together, we can build a future in which every person seeking recovery has access to the care, support, and opportunities they deserve. We urge the White House to engage deeply and urgently with us so this initiative delivers meaningful, measurable progress for the millions of Americans counting on it.
Our 2026 Policy Priorities are outline on our website here: https://facesandvoicesofrecovery.org/programs/advocacy/initiatives/. We urge national leaders to pursue an ambitious goal: end the overdose crisis and rebuild American lives, families, and communities. This means pairing urgent, life-saving interventions with long-term strategies that strengthen the foundations of recovery—stable housing, meaningful work, strong families, and accountable, effective services. Every federal policy, program, and action should help reduce preventable deaths and give people a real path to long-term stability and independence.
Patty McCarthy, M.S., Chief Executive Officer