People Trump Cancels $1.9B Substance Use Funding

The ⁤Trump management on Tuesday ⁤evening unexpectedly canceled up to $1.9bn in funding for substance use⁣ and mental ⁣health care, which providers say will immediately‍ affect thousands of patients.

“It feels like Armageddon for everyone who’s on the frontlines of the addiction and mental health space,” said Ryan Hampton, founder of Mobilize Recovery, a national advocacy organization for people in and seeking recovery.

“The scope of care that’s disrupted ‍by these grants is catastrophic. tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of people will die.”

As many as 2,800 grantees through the Substance ⁤Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (Samhsa) received a letter immediately ending their funding – about 26%⁢ of Samhsa’s entire budget.

Staff at Samhsa were not consulted on the cuts or even told they were happening, according to two sources familiar with the cuts who asked for anonymity to speak about sensitive matters. The agency also endured massive cuts throughout 2025.

Providers woke up this⁣ morning to learn they would need to lay off staff and ⁣end programs immediately, Hampton said. ‍Many of these ⁢programs are on the frontlines of mental health and substance use, functioning as ‍the first point of contact for people who need care.

“These are programs that save lives, so the impact could be really devastating,” ⁣said Regina LaBelle, former acting director of the Biden White House office of national drug control policy and ⁣professor at Georgetown University.

“It really covers the spectrum of ⁣prevention, treatment and⁣ recovery services, both on substance use and mental health,” said Yngvild Olsen, who until last July served as the director ⁢for⁢ the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment at ⁤Samhsa and is now a national adviser at Manatt Health.

The⁤ cuts will affect overdose-prevention work,naloxone distribution and use by first responders,mental health and substance use support within schools,support for pregnant and postpartum women who receive assistance for substance use disorder,underage drinking prevention and recovery support programs – all cut without warning.

“Overnight, our entire backbone and infrastructure⁢ of addiction and mental‍ health in this country flipped up on its head,” Hampton said. “These grants⁤ are lifesaving tools that⁣ honestly are a good reason ⁤why we have started to see a reversal in trends of drug overdoses in this country.”

Overdoses ⁣soared over the past two decades,but in recent years they‍ began falling.‍ In 2024, the ⁢US overdose rate ‍ dropped by 27%. now, with these abrupt ⁤cuts, “a lot of lives are at risk.”