HHS quickly reverses $2 billion in mental health and substance abuse cuts after pushback
WASHINGTON — The Department of Health and Human Services is restoring $2 billion in funds to combat substance abuse and mental health after the department announced the day before it would cancel the funds, an administration official confirmed to NBC News.
The reinstatement came Wednesday after the groups were informed Tuesday of funding reductions associated with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, attributed the reversal to Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “bowing to public pressure.”
“These are cuts he should not have imposed in the first place,” she said in a statement. “He must be careful when making decisions that will impact the health of Americans. Our policy must be thoughtful, not random and chaotic. This episode has only created uncertainty and confusion for families and health care providers.”
NBC News has contacted the Department of Health and Human Services for more information.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA, focuses on mental health, behavioral and substance abuse issues. The administration is part of the Department of Health and Human Services and supports resources such as suicide and crisis hotlines, opioid treatment, behavioral health effects of disasters and more.
The initial cancellation sparked backlash from doctors and behavioral health advocates. The American College of Emergency Physicians said in a news release that it was “deeply concerned” about the initial cuts.
“These brutal cuts threaten to dismantle the fragile continuum of care that helps people quickly access treatment and stay connected to services,” Dr. L. Anthony Cirillo, the group’s president, said in a statement.
Daniel H. Gillison Jr., CEO of the support and advocacy group National Alliance on Mental Illness, said in a statement that the planned budget cuts were “discouraging and cruel, and threaten the vital work of hundreds of organizations that provide essential mental health support across the United States.”
“These abrupt and unwarranted cuts will immediately disrupt suicide prevention efforts, family and peer recovery support, overdose prevention and treatment, and mental health awareness and education programs, as well as many other essential services, putting an unspecified number of lives at risk,” he said in a statement before the funds were reinstated.
