President Donald Trump is being urged to declare an opioids national emergency amid an American overdose crisis.
A commission led by Gov. Chris Christie is calling for the White House to take action after finding that thousands of Americans are dying from opioid overdoses every three weeks — an amount that's drawn comparisons to the number of lives lost in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, according to The Guardian.
"The first and most urgent recommendation of this Commission is direct and completely within your control. Declare a national emergency under either the Public Health Service Act or the Stafford Act," the commission wrote in its interim report, which was released Monday, according to ABC News.
"Our nation is in a crisis," the report said. "Our citizens are dying. We must act boldly to stop it. The opioid epidemic we are facing is unparalleled. The average American would likely be shocked to know that drug overdoses now kill more people than gun homicides and car crashes combined."
The commission wrote a 10-page report that outlines the severity of the opioid overdose crisis, which is apparently prevalent in every state across the U.S., The Guardian noted.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 142 Americans die every day from drug overdose.
Christie and his commission said that if Trump and his administration declared a national emergency, it would "awaken every American" of this issue.
"It would also awaken every American to this simple fact: if this scourge has not found you or your family yet, without bold action by everyone, it soon will," the report says.
According to ABC News, Christie and members of the commission spoke over the phone on Monday about their findings and to determine whether they should move forward with their interim report.
Those on the conference call voted unanimously to move forward with the report.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.