Chris plugs Don move on opioids

LATEST VICTIMS OF AN EPIDEMIC

NEW JERSEY Gov. Chris Christie defended President Trump’s declaration of an opioid emergency without making any new federal money available — saying it’s up to Congress to come up with the cash.

“It’s a totally misplaced criticism,” Christie, chairman of the Trump administration’s commission on opioid abuse, said Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation” of the complaint from some advocates that the President’s declaration last week of a public health emergency did not come with a request for new funding.

Trump last Thursday declared the opioid epidemic — which kills 175 Americans a day — a nationwide public health emergency. But the public health emergency fund currently has only $57,000 in its coffers.

“I think it’s going to be the subject of negotiation with Congress,” Christie said on ABC’s “This Week.”

“The President has got to sit down with Congress now, and Congress has to put this money in.”

The New Jersey Republican said Trump’s move would open up thousands of Medicaid beds for poor people who need addiction treatment.

“You’re going to see this President initially ask for billions of dollars to deal with this,” he said.

Christie (above right with Trump) said he thinks Congress will come up with the money.

“He laid out things that are going to cost real money,” he told CBS. “I believe from talking to bipartisan members of Congress that this is not something that’s going to take very long at all. They’re going to react to this emergency.”