| Hans-Günter Meyer-Thompson | International
USA. Trump hasn't formally declared the opioid epidemic a national emergency, and lawmakers want to know why
WASHINGTON — Four weeks after President Trump said he would declare a national emergency in response to the opioid epidemic, the White House has not yet taken that dramatic step.
The monthlong delay has left some lawmakers and advocates wondering whether Trump plans to follow through on a promise that could expand access to treatment and increase the availability of overdose reversal drugs.
On Monday, a group of 10 Democratic senators wrote to Trump asking why there was a hold-up in making the emergency declaration. They said the delay reinforced other concerns about the Trump administration’s approach to the epidemic. (USA Today, 11.09.2017)