HHS terminates thousands of grants for substance use, mental health worth billions - POLITICO

"If these programs were so abhorrent to the White House it makes one wonder why the president signed that legislation," Kessler told POLITICO… "Kneecapping and defunding the fight against the opioid and mental health epidemics will not 'Make America Healthy Again,' it will put American lives on the line," said Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, the top Democrat in the Appropriations subcommittee that oversees HHS funding, in a statement.

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/14/hhs-terminates-grants-substance-use-mental-health-00729433 

 

Psychiatrists call for RFK Jr. to be replaced as health secretary : Shots - Health News : NPR

Two groups are calling for new leadership at HHS after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s actions on substance abuse treatment and mental health medications, among other issues...

https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/10/06/nx-s1-5559217/rfk-jr-mental-health-substance-abuse-ssri 

 

Trump administration mulls sharp funding cuts at health agencies - POLITICO

In perhaps the most significant element of the restructuring, the proposal suggests eliminating funding for the Substance Use and Mental Health Services Administration, Health Resources and Services Administration, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and Administration for Community Living, along with a handful of other smaller programs. 

Some of the work done at those agencies would continue under the Administration for a Health America, which would get roughly $14 billion in budget authority under the plan. Yet that funding is well below the collective amount allocated to those agencies in past years. It would also mean eliminating dozens of programs, including programs on autism, teen pregnancy prevention, substance abuse initiatives focused on minority populations and firearm injury and mortality prevention research...

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/16/trump-administration-mulls-sharp-funding-cuts-at-health-agencies-00294781 

 

Benefits for Mind, Body and Work Ability Seen in Medicaid Expansion

New findings about low-income adults with behavioral health conditions, mental health and substance use disorders, suggest importance of continuous coverage https://labblog.uofmhealth.org/industry-dx/benefits-for-mind-body-and-work-ability-seen-medicaid-expansion