Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump filled out his White House commission tasked with fighting opioid abuse on Wednesday, a White House official told CNN, officially tapping New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to lead the bipartisan group of lawmakers.

Democrats Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina and former Rep. Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island, and Republican Gov. Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, will also serve as members of the group.

Bertha K. Madras, a former deputy director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, will also work on the commission.

Opioid abuse has reached near epidemic levels in the United States and Trump pledged to combat the issue during the 2016 campaign. A study from the Center for Disease Control found that 25% of all drug overdose deaths were related to heroin in 2015. That number was just 6% in 1999.

Weeks before Election Day, Trump headlined a roundtable discussion in New Hampshire with opioid stakeholders where he pledged to take action on the issue.

Read More