What does the do?

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The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) is a subdivision of the Executive Office of the President responsible for establishing the nation's drug control program. The agency aims to reduce illicit drug use, manufacturing, and trafficking, drug-related crime and violence, and drug-related health consequences. It was established in 1988.

In FY 2025,

$35M

was spent by the Office of National Drug Control Policy
In FY 2025,

<0.1%

of Executive Office of the President spending was by the Office of National Drug Control Policy

How much does the Office of National Drug Control Policy spend?

The Office of National Drug Control Policy spent a net total of $35 million in fiscal year (FY) 2025. This was -28.7% of the -$122 million spent by the Executive Office of the President, which itself was -0.0017% of all federal spending. The ONDCP ranked third among EOP subdivisions in net spending.
Net spending is the difference between agency spending and any financial accounts generating funds from the agency’s own activities, like fees or rent. When these funds offset all spending, net spending appears negative. Some agencies tend to operate with positive net spending while others will register negative net spending sometimes or often.

The Office of National Drug Control Policy ranked third among Executive Office of the President divisions in net spending in 2025.

EOP net spending by division, FY 2025

Like the overall federal budget, agency spending may shift over time due to population growth, changes in policy and programs, and emerging problems to address. Adjusting for inflation, the Office of National Drug Control Policy’s federal spending has increased from $5.55 million in 1989 to $35 million in 2025.

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The Office of National Drug Control Policy’s federal spending in FY 2025 was higher than in FY 1989.

Yearly federal net spending by ONDCP, adjusted for inflation (2025 dollars), FYs 1989–2025

Since 1989, the Office of National Drug Control Policy's spending has increased 530.7%, while overall spending has increased 134.7%.
As a percentage of the overall federal budget, a positive number means agency net spending made up some positive share of total federal spending; a negative number means that net generated funds offset a portion of total spending. ONDCP spending grew more than overall federal spending since 1989, which means that its share of the federal budget increased. In 2025, ONDCP accounted for 0.0005% of overall federal spending.
Major legislation, internal or global economic conditions, and acute events like the COVID-19 pandemic can affect spending year to year. For example, the federal budget fluctuated during the pandemic, rising from $5.3 trillion (in 2023 dollars) in 2019 to $7.7 trillion in 2020 and $7.8 trillion in 2021.

The Office of National Drug Control Policy’s share of federal spending in FY 2025 was higher than in FY 1989.

Net spending by ONDCP as a share of federal spending, FYs 1989–2025

Most federal spending can be categorized as direct or indirect. Direct spending refers to money the federal government spends on budget items such as federal programs, employee salaries, and debt interest. Indirect spending refers to federal transfers to state and local governments.
In FY 2025, all of the Office of National Drug Control Policy's spending was direct.
The chart below outlines all net ONDCP spending.

How did the Office of National Drug Control Policy spend its budget in 2025?

Federal government net spending isolated to ONDCP, FY 2025

How many people work for the Office of National Drug Control Policy?

Some 61 of the 2.03 million total civilian federal employees work for the Office of National Drug Control Policy as of May 2026. This is 35.1% fewer people than the division staffed in 2012.

The number of federal employees working for the Office of National Drug Control Policy has decreased 35.1% since 2012.

Number of federal employees working for ONDCP, May 2012–2026

The Office of National Drug Control Policy accounts for 0.003% of the overall federal workforce. As the number of federal employees has changed, so too has the way the workforce is organized, with resources allocated to agencies depending on government priorities. The division constituted a smaller share of the overall federal workforce in May 2026 compared to 2012 (0.0045%).
While the number of employees on an agency’s payroll contributes to that agency’s expenditures, some agencies have relatively few employees compared to their budget or vice versa, giving them an outsized share of either the budget or the workforce. According to the most recent data, the Office of National Drug Control Policy’s share of the workforce (0.003%) is larger than its share of the budget (0.0005%).

Who leads the Office of National Drug Control Policy?

The ONDCP is led by a director. This individual is nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. They report directly to the president, with no fixed term length.

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Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

Page sources

USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.