Only a crazed tweaker would slash appropriated mental health and substance abuse funding. It’s all part of the TFG and Brain Worm McGee master plan…the creation of the Administration for a Healthy America (AHA).
“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.”
A lot of the $1.9 billion went to help address mental health inequity. The economic impacts of funding cuts could be huge.
They tell me in my state, the legislature sees drug addiction as a voluntary illness. They are reluctant to fund treatment. Actually they resist funding efforts. We do have a new mental hospital under construction but capacity will still be grossly inadequate. Hundreds found mentally unable to stand trial wait in jail for an open bed in a mental facility.
That’s so mid 20th century of them. Modern legislatures recognize that substance abuse is a drag on society. They also recognize that investing in treatment / support boosts the overall economy.
“After a tense day of confusion and backroom negotiations, the Trump administration moved Wednesday night to restore roughly $2 billion in federal grant money for mental health and addiction programs nationwide.”
Trump is also increasing the cost of illegal drugs and their profitability. His war on drugs will do that. Meanwhile, more people will be hooked longer term.
Using drugs as a pretext to do other things isn’t necessarily a war on drugs. Here’s a good recap on the GameChangers that haven’t changed the game.
While it’s obviously good that the recently slashed funding was restored, 2025 was a very rough year for SAMHSA.
“Since January, layoffs and funding cuts at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration have ground much of the agency’s work to a halt. The agency has terminated $1.7 billion in block grants for state health departments and cut roughly $350 million in addiction and overdose prevention funding. At the Center for Mental Health Services, more than half of its 130 employees have been let go, including all but one of those responsible for youth mental health programs.”
