HUNTINGTON – President Donald Trump will officially declare the opioid crisis a "national emergency," the president announced Thursday during a security briefing in Bedminster, New Jersey.
Trump told The Associated Press the drug crisis afflicting the nation is a "serious problem the likes of which we have never had" and says he's drawing up documents "to so attest."
A drug commission convened by Trump recently called for a national emergency declaration to help deal with the opioid crisis. West Virginia leaders expressed their support of such a declaration last week in interviews with The Herald-Dispatch, though they weren't sure exactly what resources such a declaration would bring.
Huntington Mayor Steve Williams welcomed the announcement as long-awaited good news of action against the opioid crisis at the national level.
"I believe this is a message from the president and the White House that help is on the way," Williams said. "To know the president is acknowledging the extent of the crisis is so far reaching that we need to have a national conversation between the White House, the statehouse, the courthouse, city hall and the neighborhoods - this is everything that we could have asked for and more."
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice said he supported Trump's efforts to address the epidemic.
"I have been saying all along that we have an emergency in West Virginia with opioid and drug addiction," Justice said in a prepared statement. "This devastating scourge is taking the lives of hundreds of our citizens every year. I am deeply saddened every time I read the letters I receive from West Virginians talking about their loved ones they've lost to drug abuse. We must act now to do something to solve this horrible problem that is cannibalizing our state."
Rep. Evan Jenkins, R-W.Va., of the state's 3rd District, also praised the forthcoming declaration, adding it would allow for more resources "to respond to this urgent public health crisis."
"Solving this crisis will take all of us working together: local, state, federal, Congress and the White House," Jenkins said in a release. "I thank President Trump for this leadership on this critical issue and wholeheartedly support this declaration."
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., also welcomed the president's intentions to declare the opioid crisis a national emergency.
"This crisis is growing and requires an escalated response," Capito said in a release. "More resources, like those that may be available through this designation, are needed to help communities in West Virginia and across the country fight back."
Sen. Joe Manchin's office declined to comment until the declaration and its impact are reviewed, communications director Jonathan Kott said.?