Bipartisan Dear Colleague Letter Calls for Increased Funding for SUD Workforce Programs

A bipartisan group of lawmakers is calling on House appropriations leaders to increase Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 funding for two substance use disorder (SUD) related workforce programs: the Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program (STAR-LRP) and the Addiction Medicine Fellowship (AMF) Program.

The request was included in a March 27 "Dear Colleague" letter sent to Chairman Robert Aderholt and Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro, who lead the House Committee on Appropriations' Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies. 

Specifically, this coalition of lawmakers is asking for the FY 2027 appropriations bill to provide $50 million for STAR-LRP (an increase of $10 million from FY 2026) and $30 million for the AMF Program (an increase of $5 million).

STAR-LRP helps professionals repay student loans if they pursue full-time addiction treatment jobs in high-need areas. The AMF Program expands the number of fellows at accredited addiction medicine and addiction psychiatry fellowship programs who work in underserved, community-based settings that integrate primary care with mental health and SUD prevention and treatment services.

ASAM is supportive of these proposed funding increases, which are necessary to help strengthen the addiction treatment workforce.

Read the "Dear Colleague" letter.