© 2026 Kansas City Public Radio
NPR in Kansas City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Opioid Crisis Takes Center Stage After Drug Czar Nominee's Industry Ties Exposed

The revelation that Republican Rep. Tom Marino of Pennsylvania — the White House nominee to head the National Office of Drug Control Policy — sponsored legislation that favored the drug industry while receiving campaign contributions from that same industry led to Marino withdrawing his name from consideration. Meanwhile, President Trump has announced that he will declare the opioid epidemic a national emergency.

Lev Facher ( @levfacher), Washington correspondent for STAT, tells Here & Now‘s Robin Young about efforts to repeal that legislation and what a national emergency declaration may mean.

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

KCUR is here for Kansas City, because Kansas City is here for KCUR.

Your support makes KCUR's work possible — from reporting that keeps officials accountable, to storytelling that connects our community. You can make sure the future of local journalism is strong.