WASHINGTON, D.C. (NEXSTAR) — Fewer Americans are dying from drug overdoses according to new numbers from the CDC. The White House is taking credit for the promising decline.  New data from the CDC shows a 17% decline in overdose deaths from July 2023 to July 2024.  Dr. Rahul Gupta is the Director of the White House National Drug Control Policy. He attributes the new figures to the work that his office has been doing.   "This is not only the largest decrease on record, it's the 8th straight month of reporting decreases," Gupta said. "These aren't just numbers, these are lives. And we didn't get there by accident." Flu vaccines drop among kids despite record deaths last year: CDC Specifically, the White House says some of the major factors include increased funding for treatment and expanded access to medication like naloxone, to reverse overdoses. "It's been important to get it lower in price, more accessible and get people to administer it," Gupta said. Dessa Bergen-Cico is a professor with Syracuse University who studies addiction and public health. She agrees that the current federal policies are working.  "When you start to work on upstream issues, sort of root causes of the problem, with a concerted effort you finally start to see some progress," Bergen-Cico said.  Overdoses aren't just a U.S. problem and both experts say international efforts to crack down on drug trafficking globally are critical.  "The flows that come into the country, it's not a problem that we can deal with on our own," Bergen-Cico said.  A new administration will take over soon and Bergen-Cico is concerned they may cut federal programs or funding targeted at drug abuse.  "Is there waste? Yes. Are there things that could be more efficient? Yes. And we need to take a good hard look rather than just taking a chainsaw to everything," Bergen-Cico said.  Dr. Gupta hopes this priority transcends politics.  "It doesn't care if you're a blue state or a red state, this is America's issue," Gupta said.