Trump Admin. Abruptly Slashes Funding for Addiction, Homelessness, and Mental Health
The news hit the public health community like a shockwave, instantly shuttering lifesaving services and leaving many more people out of work.
This morning, NPR's Brian Mann broke the news that the Trump administration has, without warning, cancelled federal grant funding for addiction, homelessness, and mental health services.
STAT's Lev Facher reported that SAMHSA staff were also shocked by the news. They were not notified about or consulted on the cuts, which reportedly could include 2,800 grants totalling "over one-quarter of the agency's overall budget."
This is a developing story. We don't know all the details yet, but here's what we know so far and how the public health community is reacting:
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) quickly released a statement condemning the cuts:
Just last month, NAMI published a poll of 2,046 U.S. adults that showed strong support for federal workers, programs, and funding for mental health, addiction, and suicide prevention programs:
- 3 out of 4 (73%) oppose cutting federal jobs and programs focused on mental health, opioid treatment, and suicide prevention.
- 4 out of 5 (83%) support Medicaid funding for mental health.
- 2 out of 3 (64%) say the government is doing too little to address these issues.
Stephen M. Taylor, MD, MPH, president of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), also strongly condemned "these catastrophic cuts," and said that grant funding for addiction treatment is "no longer reliable."
ASAM is calling for immediate action from Congress, including ensuring comprehensive addiction treatment is covered by Medicare and Medicaid.
Shockwaves Through Public Health
The news hit an already struggling public health community like a shockwave. It's an unfortunate reality of working in this field at the moment that sweeping cuts can hit programs without any notice. Even if you keep your funding, the uncertainty makes it very difficult to plan ahead, hire staff, or even accomplish your program's goals of improving healthcare.
Like so much these days, this is another action from this administration that is shocking but shouldn't be surprising. Last June, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified to Congress that he planned on moving SAMHSA into his new "Administration for a Healthy America" (AHA). At the time, Congresswoman Madeline Dean of suburban Philadelphia asked him: "Why would we, when we are finally seeing some success, bury that success, put it in an AHA program?" NPR reports that Kennedy "didn't answer her question."
It's clear that Americans support mental health and addiction services, but for this news to have a real impact, it will need to break through in a very noisy and divided information environment. Many Americans might not notice until they are seeking out these services - only to find they are no longer available.
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