Trump Nominee visits Scott County
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Trump Nominee visits Scott County
By Shane Gilreath
[email protected]
President Trumps nominee for The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, Sara Carter spent the day in Scott County to learn about the Coalition.
Sara Carter, a former FOX News contributor and President Donald Trump’s
nominee for Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP),made an impromptu appearance in Scott County last week. Carter, who would become the nation’s Drug Czar if confirmed by the Senate, coordinated to visit the local STAND Coalition, their partners, and students.
“Sara, in her new role, wanted to come see a successful post-grantee after their ONDCP funding, so they chose us out of the hundreds of possibilities across the nation,” said Trent Coffey, who works with STAND. The local organization received10 years of funding from the ONDCP in the past, but has demonstrated their success by sufficiently standing without it for eight, bringing the Trump administration to Scott County to explore local success.
For many communities, like Scott County, ONDCP has played a vital role through targeted funding that addresses local needs, using initiatives like the Drug-Free Communities Support Program and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas initiative to provide grants to grassroots coalitions that work to prevent youth substance abuse and direct resources to counties that are most affected by drug trafficking. By funding these community-driven preventions, ONDCP helps build strategies that reflect regional challenges and strengthen partnerships between local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies while also supporting treatment and prevention programs.
Throughout her broadcast career, Carter was recognized for her reporting on border security, drug cartels, and national security issues, but her Scott County visit focused strictly on STAND and the impact the organizations has had. Five members of the ONDCP staff accompanied Carter, meeting with STAND partners, and according to Coffey, seeking knowledge from both the partners and the organization’s youth coalition, meeting with 204 students attending the event at the Boys & Girls Club.
Not only does ONDCP coordinate the nation’s drug policy, but the agency is responsible for the development and implementation of the National Drug Control Strategy and Budget. ONDCP coordinates across 19 federal agencies and oversees a $44 billion budget as part of a whole-of-government approach to addressing addiction and the overdose epidemic.
“To have six staff members from Washington DC come to our community is considered one of the greatest honors STAND has received,” Coffey said. “They came to learn from this community and that they did. I feel that this is only the start of what is to come in the near future.”
