President Donald Trump will declare the opioid addiction epidemic a national emergency next week, he said on Monday. This announcement comes about two months after Trump first pitched the idea about a national emergency back in August. Declaring a national emergency will increase the amount of resources and funding available to help combat the opioid epidemic. 

Trump explained the delay by saying that he wanted to get it “absolutely right” before making a declaration.

The opioid epidemic has exploded in recent years, and opioid overdose is now the leading cause of injury-related death in the United States. New England, Appalachia, and parts of the midwest are among the hardest hit by the epidemic. Over 60,000 people died from an overdose in 2016, which is 19 percent more than 2015’s numbers. 

Trump campaigned heavily regarding the opioid crisis, and during the campaign he made frequent references to doing something to combat the deadly epidemic. Last week, First Lady Melania Trump visited an infant treatment center in West Virginia.