March 11, 2014
ISSUE
In his FY 2015 budget request, the President recommended only $85.7 million for the Drug Free Communities (DFC) program. This is a $6.3 million cut from the $92 million level appropriated in FY 2014. The President’s FY 2015 budget request would support approximately 139 new grants. If the program is level funded at $92 million, 186 new grants will be funded. Given that funding for substance misuse prevention programs has been cut by 48% since FY 2005, it is critical that the DFC program, which is one of the few remaining bona fide substance misuse prevention programs, be funded at a level of $92 million in FY 2015.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Ensure your members of Congress make funding the DFC program at $92 million one of their top appropriations priorities for FY 2015. Using CADCA’s CapWiz system, fax the sample letter to your members of Congress. YOUR FAX IS CRITICAL. The more letters the members of your congressional delegation receive on this issue, the more likely they are to support funding this program at $92 million.
TIMING
Please fax your members of Congress IMMEDIATELY to ask them to ensure that the DFC program is funded at $92 million in FY 2015. CADCA’s fax system allows you to automatically fax CADCA’s sample letter on this issue to your legislators from CADCA’s website.
To send faxes to your legislators, go to http://cqrcengage.com/cadca/home.
If you would like to personalize your letter with examples from your community, please email nreul@cadca.org for a MS Word version of the sample letter.
CADCA will continue to monitor the DFC program as the appropriations process moves forward and will alert you when further action must be taken.
