Trump slashes mental health agency as shutdown drags on

Sign for nan 988 Lifeline intelligence wellness emergency hotline, Walnut Creek, California, December 20, 2024. The Trump management has laid disconnected much than 100 labor astatine nan agency responsible for overseeing nan number. Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images hide caption

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Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images

The Trump management has laid disconnected much than 100 labor astatine nan nation's main intelligence wellness agency, NPR has learned.

Current and erstwhile labor astatine nan Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) told NPR astir nan layoffs, which were portion of a government-wide simplification successful force. The sources, who were not authorized to speak publically astir nan agency, said nan layoffs came precocious Friday, arsenic nan nation's authorities shutdown dragged on.

Employees were notified of a "Reduction successful Force" soon earlier 8 p.m. ET connected Friday, according to a root wrong nan agency who was not authorized to talk nan layoffs publicly. According to nan source, management officials offered nary rationale for who mislaid their jobs:

"I deliberation nan wide emotion coming is daze — and not knowing why?" nan root told NPR.

That root was alert of dozens of firings. Two erstwhile labor told NPR that nan full number of labor astatine SAMHSA who mislaid their jobs was astir 125, though that number was a unsmooth estimate. SAMHSA had employed astir 900 group astatine nan commencement of this administration, but had already mislaid a 3rd of that number to layoffs successful nan spring. With this latest information of firings, that number is down to astir half.

In a statement, nan Department of Health and Human Services, which houses SAMHSA, confirmed nan cuts.

"HHS labor crossed aggregate divisions are receiving reduction-in-force notices arsenic a nonstop consequence of nan Democrat-led authorities shutdown," Andrew Nixon, nan department's head of communications, wrote to NPR successful an email precocious Saturday.

SAMHSA is responsible for overseeing nan caller 988 termination prevention hotline. It besides gives retired billions successful grants for intelligence wellness and addiction services. It was created successful 1992 done bipartisan authorities signed by then-President George H.W. Bush. In 2024 its fund was astir $7.5 billion, astir of which went straight to states for programs aimed astatine intelligence wellness issues and addiction.

SAMHSA costs "are nan backbone of behavioral wellness successful this country," Rachel Winograd, a scientist astatine nan University of Missouri-Saint Louis, told NPR earlier this year. "If those grants were to spell away, we'd beryllium screwed."

Despite having what galore spot arsenic an basal domiciled successful protecting nan nation's intelligence health, SAMHSA has not been viewed favorably by nan existent administration. President Trump had projected slashing its fund arsenic portion of his Big Beautiful Bill. And earlier this year, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told Congress that he intended to fold its duties into a caller programme he calls nan Administration for a Healthy America.

CDC successful disorder arsenic immoderate cuts reversed

A motion marks nan entranceway to nan U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention office Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, successful Atlanta. Several cardinal parts of nan agency are losing employees. Brynn Anderson/AP hide caption

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Brynn Anderson/AP

SAMHSA was not nan only agency to spot unit laid disconnected connected Friday evening. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention besides appears to person suffered cuts to staffing, according to 2 labor who opportunity they were affected by nan firings. Both labor were not authorized to speak to nan property while nan layoffs are being finalized.

But nan cuts astatine CDC seemed to beryllium successful flux precocious Saturday. In an evident reversal, 1 worker had their firing undone according to a missive seen by NPR. The letter, from Tom Nagy, nan Chief Human Capital Officer astatine nan section of Health and Human Services said nan employee's Reduction successful Force was "hereby revoked."

The root said they were alert of different reversals astatine nan CDC, but it was unclear really galore labor received specified letters.

Before nan reversals went out, 1 CDC charismatic who was laid disconnected told NPR that nan agency had been nan taxable of sweeping cuts to unit astatine offices responsible for illness surveillance, outbreak forecasting, chronic diseases, and immunization and respiratory diseases, to sanction but a few. "If you wanted to weaken America's nationalist wellness capacity without saying it outright, this is really you'd do it — region nan group who link nan dots, dependable nan ship, and support nan nationalist informed," nan charismatic who was laid disconnected told NPR.

The New York Times also reported extended cuts astatine nan nationalist wellness agency, including 2 elder officials responsible for overseeing nan CDC's bales consequence team.

In a abstracted connection sent to NPR, HHS's Nixon said that immoderate labor received "incorrect notifications" and "were ne'er separated from nan agency." "They are not taxable to nan simplification successful force," he wrote.

Nixon besides indicated much cuts could come: "HHS continues to adjacent wasteful and duplicative entities, including those that are astatine likelihood pinch nan Trump administration's Make America Healthy Again agenda," it said.

NPR's Pien Huang and Jeff Brady contributed to this report.