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House Mental Health & Addiction Treatment Leaders Demand Immediate SAMHSA Funding Restoration

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, leaders of the Bipartisan Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Task Force and the Addiction, Treatment, and Recovery Caucus led a bipartisan group of 100 House members demanding the Trump administration reverse its decision to terminate thousands of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration grants that fund local mental health and addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery programs across the country.


According to reports, roughly 2,800 SAMHSA grant termination notices were issued nationwide, cutting off funding for critical community programs effective January 13, 2026.


“Addressing mental health and substance use disorders is a bipartisan priority and should never be treated as a partisan issue,” the lawmakers wrote. “Every state relies on SAMHSA funding to respond to pressing mental health and addiction challenges, and abruptly pulling these resources will cause real harm to individuals, families, and communities.”


The letter was spearheaded by Representatives Lori Trahan (D-MA-03), Paul D. Tonko (D-NY-20), Madeleine Dean (D-PA-04), Donald Beyer (D-VA-08), Brittany Pettersen (D-CO-07), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01), Seth Moulton (D-MA-06), Doris Matsui (D-CA-07), Gabe Amo (D-RI-01), Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-LA-02), Becca Balint (D-VT-AL), and Kim Schrier (D-WA-08).


The members emphasized that Congress has worked on a bipartisan basis to reduce stigma, expand access to care, and strengthen prevention and recovery efforts nationwide. They warned that the administration’s action directly undermines those efforts and jeopardizes lifesaving services.


The letter urges the administration to immediately rescind all grant terminations and ensure that SAMHSA programs continue to serve their congressionally intended purpose of delivering critical mental health and addiction resources to communities in need. The lawmakers also requested detailed information from the administration by January 16, 2026, including the total number of grants terminated, the programs affected, and the specific rationale for each termination. They further questioned how the cancellations align with the recently signed SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act, which reauthorized many of these programs for five years.


“The need for mental health and substance use disorder services has never been greater,” the members continued. “Too many people across the country are already struggling to access care. This decision only makes that crisis worse.”


The members stressed that they will continue to press the administration until the grants are fully restored and communities receive the support Congress intended.


A copy of the letter sent today can be accessed HERE.


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