Addressing Addiction Through the Great American Recovery Initiative

This executive order establishes the White House Great American Recovery Initiative, co-chaired by the Secretary of HHS and a Senior Advisor for Addiction Recovery, to coordinate federal response to substance use disorder. The Initiative brings together 15+ officials across cabinet departments and agencies to recommend steps for aligning federal programs, increasing treatment access, and integrating addiction services across health, criminal justice, workforce, education, and housing systems.

Federal Register Open PDF 91 FR 5081

Key directives

Establish White House Great American Recovery Initiative co-chaired by Secretary of HHS and Senior Advisor for Addiction Recovery
Executive Director to administer day-to-day operations, report to Assistant to President for Domestic Policy
Initiative to recommend steps to coordinate federal addiction response, align programs, set objectives, provide data-driven public updates
Initiative to increase awareness, help Americans receive treatment, foster recovery-celebrating culture
Advise agency heads on integrating prevention, early intervention, treatment, recovery support, re-entry across public health, healthcare, criminal justice, workforce, education, housing, social services
Advise agency heads on directing grants to support addiction recovery with focus on prevention, treatment, long-term resilience
Consult with states, tribal nations, local jurisdictions, community-based, faith-based, private sector, philanthropic entities

Who is ordered

Timeline

Immediate

Establishment of White House Great American Recovery Initiative
Designation of Co-Chairs (HHS Secretary, Senior Advisor for Addiction Recovery) and Executive Director

Near term (90d)

Initiative members to begin coordinating federal response
Potential public hearings and roundtables
Initial consultations with states, tribes, local jurisdictions, and private sector

Long term

Integration of prevention/treatment/recovery across health, criminal justice, workforce, education, housing systems
Data-driven public progress updates
Potential realignment of federal grant programs

Risks & tensions

No appropriations provided; implementation 'subject to availability of appropriations' may limit impact
Advisory role only—Initiative 'recommends' and 'advises' but lacks direct operational authority over agencies
Vague 'as deemed appropriate by the agency head' language may weaken coordination
Potential tension between criminal justice integration and public health approach
Scale of crisis (48.4 million Americans) vs. limited structural mechanisms for enforcement