Trump nominates Timothy Westlake to lead SAMHSA

Lev’s reporting has explored Americans’ deadly hostility to addiction medications, subpar treatment offered in jails and prisons, shifts in the illicit drug supply and consumption behavior, controversies surrounding harm reduction, and recent innovations in addiction medicine. You can reach him on Signal at levfacher.51.

Nearly 18 months after taking office, President Trump has nominated a leader for the federal agency that oversees mental health and addiction policy. 

If confirmed by the Senate, Timothy Westlake, a Wisconsin-based physician with decades of experience in both clinical and policy roles, would serve as assistant secretary of mental health and substance use. The position would also make him head of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which has operated without a long-term leader since Trump was inaugurated in January 2025. 

Notably, the White House did not formally announce its pick for a key role overseeing an agency that controls billions of dollars in funding and regulates the practice of psychiatry and addiction medicine. Instead, it quietly included his name in a list of nominees sent to the Senate on July 14. By contrast, Trump announced former Fox News correspondent Sara Carter as his nominee for a related agency, the Office of National Drug Control Policy, in a post on Truth Social in March 2025.