Trump administration slashes funding for substance abuse and mental health programs nationwide
NEW YORK (AP) — The Trump administration has made sudden, sweeping cuts to substance abuse and mental health programs across the country, a move that advocates say will endanger the lives of some of the nation’s most vulnerable.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Nearly 2,000 grants representing nearly $2 billion in funding were canceled Tuesday night, according to an administration official with knowledge of the cuts who was not authorized to discuss them publicly.
The move pulls back funding for a wide range of discretionary grants and represents about a quarter of SAMHSA’s overall budget. It immediately jeopardizes programs that provide direct mental health services, opioid therapyWe offer drug prevention resources, peer support and more to communities impacted by addiction, mental illness and homelessness.
“Without this funding, people will lose access to life-saving services,” said Yngvild Olsen, former director of SAMHSA Substance Abuse Treatment Center and national counsel for Manatt Health. “Providers will really need to look at the potential for staff layoffs and inability to continue.”
Funding depends on agency priorities
SAMHSA, a subsidiary agency of the Department of Health and Human Services, notified grant recipients in emailed letters Tuesday evening that their funds would be canceled immediately, according to several copies obtained by the organizations and reviewed by The Associated Press.
The letters, signed by SAMHSA Deputy Secretary Christopher Carroll, justified the terminations using a regulation that says the agency can terminate any federal award that “no longer affects program objectives or agency priorities.”
Grant recipients who were notified of the cancellations said they were confused by the announcement and were unable to get further details about why the agency thought their work did not match SAMHSA’s. priorities.
“The purpose of our grants is fully aligned with the priorities listed in this letter,” said Jamie Ross, CEO of the Las Vegas-based PACT Coalition, a community organization focused on substance use issues that lost funding from three grants totaling $560,000.
HHS did not respond to a request for comment on the funding reversals, which were first reported by NPR. Two SAMHSA sources who were not authorized to speak to the media said staff were not widely informed about the agency’s action.
Programs at risk after funding is cut
Organizations shaken by the news on Wednesday told the AP they had already been forced to cut staff and cancel training. In the long term, many people were considering whether they could keep the programs alive by diverting them to different funding sources or whether they should stop services altogether.
Robert Franks, president and CEO of Boston-based mental health provider Baker Center for Children and Families, whose organization lost two federal grants totaling $1 million, said the loss of funding would force his organization to lay off staff and jeopardize the care of about 600 families receiving assistance. One of the canceled grants was awarded through the National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative, a more than 20-year-old program that supports specialized care for children exposed to traumatic events ranging from sexual abuse to school violence.
Franks said his organization’s work directly advances SAMHSA’s goals for addressing mental illness. He said the trauma care provided to children through his organization helps people from all walks of life and reduces burdens on other segments of society.
“The reality is that these programs are probably our most effective tool in solving the problems that they identify as critical to them,” he said. “Honestly, I don’t understand this.”
The National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors, a group that represents local agencies that provide safety net services, sent a letter to its members Wednesday, noting that many of its partners anticipate that funding withdrawals are focused on grants classified as Programs of Regional and National Significance. They also said the grants totaled around 2,000, possibly totaling around $2 billion.
The group said it believes certain block grants, 988 suicide and crisis lifeline funding, and Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics are spared from cuts.
The loss of about $1.4 million in funding is personal, according to Honesty Liller, CEO of the McShin Foundation, a peer support organization in Richmond, Virginia. He said the foundation he leads saved his life 18 years ago when he was struggling with heroin addiction.
The discontinued grant has already forced Liller to lay off five staff members. This will mean there will be fewer peers going to local jails to visit inmates recovering from substance abuse disorder.
“They need sellers of hope like us, people who have experienced recovery, and they need this funding,” Liller said. “I’ve never felt so punched in the gut.”
