Trump Administration Reportedly Slashes $2 Billion in Mental Health and Addiction Funding
Experts say these reported cuts to federal grants will exacerbate the U.S.’s addiction crisis
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The Trump administration has reportedly slashed U.S. federal funding for mental health and addiction programs, a move that experts say will exacerbate the country’s already acute drug crisis.
The loss could total some $2 billion in grants from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), NPR reported, citing unnamed sources. But the extent of the cuts has not been verified. The number of grants canceled could be as high as 2,800, according to STAT.
“This is going to cost American lives, no doubt,” says Daniel Ciccarone, a professor of addiction medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. “It’s an utter shame, given the fact that overdoses are on the decline.”
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“Now is not the time to let up on our efforts,” he says.
On Wednesday the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released data showing that estimated drug overdose deaths between August 2024 and August 2025 declined by nearly 21 percent compared with the previous year.
The decline in overdose deaths in the U.S. is not by chance, says Regina LaBelle, a professor of addiction policy at Georgetown University.
“The federal government invested in state and community-based efforts to prevent substance use, treat people with substance use disorder and support recovery. The funding cuts made by the administration today reflect a retreat from these investments,” she says.
The development is a “shock,” Ciccarone says, noting that the opioid epidemic has disproportionately affected red states. “The Trump administration, in both terms, could be claiming some credit for the reduction in deaths,” he says. “It doesn’t make any sense.”
Caleb Banta-Green, a research professor at the University of Washington, who studies drug trends, says the cuts would “gut” lifesaving services for people all across the country. “In addition to saving lives and supporting recovery, treating substance use disorder is the most impactful way to reduce ‘demand’ for drugs, with its upstream impacts on drug trafficking and manufacturing,” he says. Combating drug trafficking has been a priority of the Trump administration.
“The bottom line is that federal investment in mental health and addiction services saves lives,” said Arthur C. Evans, Jr., CEO of the American Psychological Association, in a statement. “Abruptly cutting this support, including to school-based and other youth-focused mental health programs, threatens to destabilize mental health care in our communities and puts our most vulnerable populations at risk.”
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and SAMHSA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Editor’s Note (1/14/26): This article was updated with additional information. This is a breaking news story and may be updated further.
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