Gillibrand, Colleagues Press Trump Administration Over Chaotic Disruption Of Substance Abuse, Mental Health Services Funding

Gillibrand, Colleagues Press Trump Administration Over Chaotic Disruption Of Substance Abuse, Mental Health Services Funding

Jan 22, 2026

Letter to HHS Seeks Answers Over Abrupt Termination And Reinstatement Of Congressionally Appropriated Funds For SAMHSA Services

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, joined 19 Senate Democratic colleagues in pressing the Trump administration for answers over its recent ploy to cut nearly $2 billion in federal funding for critical substance abuse and mental health services, including over $10 million to New York, only to reverse course on its decision one day later, causing mass chaos and confusion for patients and providers nationwide.

"These critical substance abuse and mental health services provide a lifeline to millions of Americans, and it is vital that they remain fully funded and protected," said Senator Gillibrand. "Congress appropriated these funds to support people in need across the country, and the administration's unlawful attempts to cut them are unconscionable. While I am relieved that this funding has been restored, the chaos and uncertainty has caused lasting harm. This is not the first time the Trump administration has sought to weaken these essential programs and undermine decades of hard-fought progress against the overdose epidemic, and I will keep fighting to protect and strengthen these programs and the critical work being done on the front lines of the opioid crisis."

"Cancelling these grants would have jeopardized critical work being done on the frontlines of the opioid crisis, which directly contradicts this administration's own stated goals to tackle the opioid crisis," the senators wrote in their letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. "Although HHS has since reversed course, much damage has already been done. Some staff were laid off or put on notice, services were paused, and trust between patients in need of these services and their providers has been permanently undermined."

Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) abruptly announced its plan to cancel over 2,000 active grants administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Funding for many of these programs was just recently reauthorized by Congress on a bipartisan basis under the SUPPORT Act.

Less than a day later, it was reported that HHS had reversed course on its plan to cancel the grants, retaining current funding levels as appropriated by Congress. Despite this, the immediate cancellation of the grants followed by the unexpected reinstatement caused mass confusion and chaos. Providers were left questioning if they had funding to continue their services, while patients were left unsure if they would continue to have access to the mental health and addiction treatment services they rely on.

Furthermore, the senators noted in their letter that the abrupt issuance of these grant termination notices without warning, explanation, or apparent statutory basis, as was reported, would be a violation of federal grant law.

In addition to Senator Gillibrand, the letter to HHS was signed by Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Edward Markey, (D-MA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Jack Reed (D-RI), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).

This letter is part of Gillibrand's ongoing effort to address the opioid crisis in New York and across the country and hold the Trump administration accountable to its promise to address it. Earlier this year, Gillibrand slammed the Trump administration for terminating more than 100 SAMHSA employees since taking office, purging the front lines of the opioid crisis. Gillibrand also sounded the alarm about the Trump administration's decision to terminate a $56 million annual grant program that helps prevent fatal overdoses by distributing and providing training to administer the opioid overdose reversal mediation naloxone. Following Gillibrand's advocacy, the Trump administration reconsidered its decision and renewed the program.

The text of the letter can be found here.

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