Opioid settlement buys questioned as local officials control nearly half the money

State and local governments spent or committed about $3.7 billion in opioid settlement money in 2025, KFF Health News reported Thursday. That is more than the median annual income of 42,000 American families combined. The money comes from companies sued for aggressively pushing painkillers and fueling the opioid crisis ¹.

Large amounts went to addiction treatment, recovery housing and other efforts that researchers and affected families say fit the purpose of the settlements. But other spending had what the report calls tenuous ties to addiction ¹.

What the review found

KFF Health News worked with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Shatterproof, a national addiction nonprofit. They examined about 17,500 expenditures drawn from public records requests and government websites. The result is described as the most comprehensive national database of how the money was used, or left unspent, in 2025 ¹.

Much of the questionable spending, from law enforcement gadgets to everyday municipal needs, happened at the county and city level. Local leaders there often have no background in addiction policy and sometimes award the money to the first people who ask for it ¹.

From Channel GOPGarcia says White House is threatening him for oversightRep. Robert Garcia · 258 plays · captioned, with the source named

Nationwide, local decision-makers control nearly half the money, according to OpioidSettlementTracker.com, a site that follows the cash ¹. The full settlement pot is expected to total about $60 billion over nearly two decades ¹.

One example is automated external defibrillators, portable devices that can save someone in cardiac arrest. About 100 localities in 20 states committed $3.7 million in opioid funds to purchases that included those devices, cardiac monitors and related accessories ¹.

Two core strategies recommended in most opioid agreements each received less than 1% of settlement spending nationwide. They are syringe service programs and initiatives for babies exposed to drugs in the womb ¹.

It shouldn’t be run by these politicians

Elizabeth Burke Beaty is a New Jersey advocate in recovery who runs a harm reduction center in Ocean County. She says people directly affected by the crisis understand local care gaps best ¹.

Defenders of local control

Supporters say local officials know their communities best. Philip Rutherford, who leads substance use strategy at the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, says local governments spend less on administration, can adapt faster and can test new ideas ¹.

It is not likely that whatever model we pick is going to work flawlessly

The report also notes the 1998 tobacco settlement, which went mostly to states. Over 20 years, less than 3% of tobacco settlement and tax-related revenue went to anti-smoking programs ¹.

Oversight gaps

The settlement agreements contain some spending guidelines, but KFF Health News describes a vacuum of leadership and oversight. It also describes significant gaps in how the public can track the dollars ¹.

An earlier KFF Health News report, republished July 22, 2026, looked at New York. About 46% of the state's settlement money is controlled by local governments. Dr. Chinazo Cunningham, who leads the state addiction services office (OASAS), said at a February 2025 meeting, “OASAS has no oversight over these portions of dollars” ².

That report said public records obtained by the Legal Action Center showed New York counties spending tens of thousands of dollars on surveillance cameras. The state comptroller's office is auditing OASAS's oversight, and the agency said it is auditing 19 local governments ².

The new data reflects government actions as of Dec. 31, 2025, and was collected as of July 2026 ¹. The pattern is that the money is large, the rules are loose and the tracking is thin. That matters because the funds were meant to save lives.

The Record

1. Dec 31, 2025Cutoff for the 2025 spending data: government actions through this date, collected as of July 2026 ¹
2. Jul 22, 2026KFF Health News report on New York finds the state addiction agency has no oversight of the 46% of settlement money controlled locally ²
3. Nov 12, 2026KFF Health News publishes its 2025 database of about 17,500 opioid settlement expenditures, totaling about $3.7 billion ¹

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<h2>Opioid settlement buys questioned as local officials control nearly half the money</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Kitchen-Table Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/opioid-settlement-buys-questioned-as-local-officials-control-nearly-half-the-money">The GOP Files</a> on Thursday, November 12, 2026.</em></p> <p>State and local governments spent or committed about $3.7 billion in opioid settlement money in 2025, KFF Health News reported Thursday. That is more than the median annual income of 42,000 American families combined. The money comes from companies sued for aggressively pushing painkillers and fueling the opioid crisis .</p> <p>Large amounts went to addiction treatment, recovery housing and other efforts that researchers and affected families say fit the purpose of the settlements. But other spending had what the report calls tenuous ties to addiction .</p> <h2>What the review found</h2> <p>KFF Health News worked with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Shatterproof, a national addiction nonprofit. They examined about 17,500 expenditures drawn from public records requests and government websites. The result is described as the most comprehensive national database of how the money was used, or left unspent, in 2025 .</p> <p>Much of the questionable spending, from law enforcement gadgets to everyday municipal needs, happened at the county and city level. Local leaders there often have no background in addiction policy and sometimes award the money to the first people who ask for it .</p> <p>Nationwide, local decision-makers control nearly half the money, according to OpioidSettlementTracker.com, a site that follows the cash . The full settlement pot is expected to total about $60 billion over nearly two decades .</p> <p>One example is automated external defibrillators, portable devices that can save someone in cardiac arrest. About 100 localities in 20 states committed $3.7 million in opioid funds to purchases that included those devices, cardiac monitors and related accessories .</p> <p>Two core strategies recommended in most opioid agreements each received less than 1% of settlement spending nationwide. They are syringe service programs and initiatives for babies exposed to drugs in the womb .</p> <blockquote><p>It shouldn’t be run by these politicians</p><p>&mdash; Elizabeth Burke Beaty, executive director, Sea Change Recovery Community and Harm Reduction Center, Ocean County, N.J.</p></blockquote> <p>Elizabeth Burke Beaty is a New Jersey advocate in recovery who runs a harm reduction center in Ocean County. She says people directly affected by the crisis understand local care gaps best .</p> <h2>Defenders of local control</h2> <p>Supporters say local officials know their communities best. Philip Rutherford, who leads substance use strategy at the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, says local governments spend less on administration, can adapt faster and can test new ideas .</p> <blockquote><p>It is not likely that whatever model we pick is going to work flawlessly</p><p>&mdash; Philip Rutherford, leads substance use strategy, National Council for Mental Wellbeing</p></blockquote> <p>The report also notes the 1998 tobacco settlement, which went mostly to states. Over 20 years, less than 3% of tobacco settlement and tax-related revenue went to anti-smoking programs .</p> <h2>Oversight gaps</h2> <p>The settlement agreements contain some spending guidelines, but KFF Health News describes a vacuum of leadership and oversight. It also describes significant gaps in how the public can track the dollars .</p> <p>An earlier KFF Health News report, republished July 22, 2026, looked at New York. About 46% of the state&#39;s settlement money is controlled by local governments. Dr. Chinazo Cunningham, who leads the state addiction services office (OASAS), said at a February 2025 meeting, “OASAS has no oversight over these portions of dollars” .</p> <p>That report said public records obtained by the Legal Action Center showed New York counties spending tens of thousands of dollars on surveillance cameras. The state comptroller&#39;s office is auditing OASAS&#39;s oversight, and the agency said it is auditing 19 local governments .</p> <p>The new data reflects government actions as of Dec. 31, 2025, and was collected as of July 2026 . The pattern is that the money is large, the rules are loose and the tracking is thin. That matters because the funds were meant to save lives.</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/opioid-settlement-buys-questioned-as-local-officials-control-nearly-half-the-money">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/opioid-settlement-buys-questioned-as-local-officials-control-nearly-half-the-money.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. KFF Health News, “Dubious Buys Raise Alarm Over Local Control of Opioid Cash” (2026-11-12). kffhealthnews.org/public-health/opioid-settlements-database-
2. HealthDay (reprinted from KFF Health News), “Agencies In New York And Beyond Pass The Buck On Opioid Cash Oversight” (2026-07-22). powershealth.org/about-us/newsroom/health-library/2026/07/22

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