Following Push From NH’s Congressional Delegation, Trump Administration Reverses Devastating Addiction Prevention Grant Cuts

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen, alongside Congressman Chris Pappas and Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander, have successfully pushed the Trump Administration to reverse its massive, sudden, and unexplained cuts to critical mental health and addiction prevention grant programs.

On Wednesday, organizations across New Hampshire began to receive grant cancelation notices from the Department of Health and Human Services, which is led by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The New Hampshire Congressional Delegation quickly pressed Secretary Kennedy to reverse the cancelations, writing in a letter to him on Wednesday, that this funding "makes it possible for community-based organizations across the state to improve youth mental health, prevent overdoses, and support our first responders."

Yesterday, under pressure from New Hampshire's Congressional Delegation and people across the country, the Administration began reinstating this critical funding for New Hampshire organizations.

"The chaos and uncertainty that the Trump Administration is causing for our first responders, health care providers, and others who are trying to serve the public has serious consequences for the health and safety of our communities," said Senator Hassan. "Thanks to the quick, bipartisan outcry over these cuts, this reckless decision by the Trump Administration has been reversed. I will continue to call out and hold the Trump Administration accountable when it puts Granite Staters at risk."

"I'm relieved to hear that the Trump Administration may restore the announced cuts to substance use and mental health programs across New Hampshire and the country. If true, then the Administration has heard our calls and quickly reversed course on its outrageous, misguided decision. This never should have happened in the first place, and had the Administration carried out its initial plan it would have had a devastating effect on the fight to address the substance use and mental health crises in New Hampshire-which is why we immediately called on Secretary Kennedy to reconsider," said Senator Shaheen.

"While I am relieved these grants for mental health, addiction, and recovery services in New Hampshire have been reinstated thanks to our advocacy, I remain deeply troubled by this administration's ongoing attempts to cruelly rip away vital resources from Granite Staters," said Congressman Pappas. "No community is untouched by the addiction and mental health crises. We are finally starting to see progress in this fight in New Hampshire, so I will do everything I can to make sure the administration doesn't break its promise to our communities."

"Secretary Kennedy's random assault on federal grants that are genuine lifelines for Granite Staters of all ages in every corner of our state was as senseless as it was reckless," said Congresswoman Goodlander. "Tackling our state's mental health crisis is a mission that unites us as Americans, and the last thing our healthcare providers and first responders on the frontlines of this effort need is the kind of confusion and chaos that we saw this week. Secretary Kennedy needs to go and these random and senseless attacks on life-saving funding promised to New Hampshire need to end."

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