WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump may have the government sue opioid suppliers and manufacturers, and Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine has come out in support of a federal lawsuit.

Speaking during a Cabinet meeting Thursday, Trump said he’s directing Attorney General Jeff Sessions to file a separate lawsuit, rather than joining existing lawsuits filed by states affected by the spread of the often-lethal, highly-addictive drugs.

Trump is asking Sessions to look out for opioids coming into the U.S. from China and Mexico, saying those countries are “sending their garbage and killing our people.”

Trump added: “It’s almost a form of warfare.”

It was not immediately clear if or when a federal suit would be filed. A barrage of suits have been filed nationwide against distributors and manufacturers in recent months amid the opioid epidemic.

In May of 2017, Ohio was the second state to file a lawsuit against the major opioid manufacturers and since then more than half of the states and many local governments have done so as well

DeWine said that it is great news that President Trump said today he would support filing a lawsuit against the opioid manufacturers.

“With the addition of the federal government, I believe that this would only accelerate the momentum and add to the pressure for these companies to finally take responsibility for marketing these addictive drugs,” he said.

DeWine said the drug epidemic in Ohio traces its roots to the overprescribing of opiates that has affected every area of the state.

“We will not rest until justice is done,” DeWine said. “and I believe that the addition of the U.S. government in the legal fight we are waging to hold opiate manufacturers accountable would be a game-changer.”

It was not immediately clear if or when a federal suit would be filed. A barrage of suits have been filed nationwide against distributors and manufacturers in recent months amid the opioid epidemic.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.