The Trump administration sent hundreds of termination letters on a Tuesday evening effective immediately for federal grants supporting substance abuse and mental health services, with three sources estimating total cuts to nonprofit groups could reach roughly $2 billion. The terminations affected organizations providing street-level care to people experiencing addiction, homelessness, and mental illness. The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration did not respond to requests for clarification on the scope of grant cancellations.
Andrew Kessler, head of Slingshot Solutions, a consultancy working with mental health and addiction groups nationwide, indicated that providers faced severe loss of front-line capacity with programs potentially shutting their doors immediately. He reviewed grant termination letters from across the country spanning Salt Lake City to El Paso to Detroit. Ryan Hampton, founder of Mobilize Recovery, a national advocacy nonprofit for people in and seeking recovery, reported that his group lost roughly $500,000 overnight. Hampton stated that the cancellations meant providers would be forced to cease overdose prevention, naloxone distribution, and peer recovery services immediately.
The National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors sent a letter to members indicating that over 2,000 grants nationwide with a total of more than $2 billion were affected, though the group said it was still working to understand the full scope. Copies of the letter sent to organizations reviewed by NPR indicated that SAMHSA officials no longer believed the programs aligned with the Trump administration’s priorities, with grants terminated as of January 13 and costs incurred after termination deemed non-allowable. Regina LaBelle, a Georgetown University professor who served as acting head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy during the Biden administration, emphasized that SAMHSA grants pay for lifesaving services including support for first responders and drug courts, noting that overdose deaths are decreasing and such a time is inappropriate for pulling critical funding.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://recentlyheard.com/trump-administration-letter-wipes-out-addiction-mental-health-grants-npr/