Trump is Burning Down SAMSHA
SAMSHA Braces for 50% Staff Reduction
The New York Times
Originally posted March 13, 2025
Federal Agency Dedicated to Mental Illness and Addiction Faces Huge Cuts The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has already closed offices and could see staff numbers reduced by 50 percent.
Every day, Dora Dantzler-Wright and her colleagues distribute overdose reversal drugs on the streets of Chicago. They hold training sessions on using them and help people in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction return to their jobs and families.
They work closely with the federal government through an agency that monitors their productivity, connects them with other like-minded groups and dispenses critical funds that keep their work going.
But over the last few weeks, Ms. Wright’s phone calls and emails to Washington have gone unanswered. Federal advisers from the agency’s local office — who supervise her group, the Chicago Recovering Communities Coalition, as well as addiction programs throughout six Midwestern states and 34 tribes — are gone. “We just continue to do the work without any updates from the feds at all,” Ms. Wright said. “But we’re lost.”
Here is a summary:
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a federal agency addressing mental illness and addiction, is facing significant staff cuts, potentially up to 50%. This is causing concern among those who rely on the agency for support and funding, such as community organizations providing addiction recovery services.
SAMHSA plays a critical role in overseeing the 988 suicide hotline, regulating opioid treatment clinics, funding drug courts, and providing resources for addiction prevention and treatment. While overdose fatalities have been declining, they remain significantly higher than in 2019, and experts fear that these cuts will hinder the agency's ability to address the ongoing behavioral health crises.
The cuts are happening through layoffs and "voluntary separations," and there is speculation that SAMHSA could be folded into another agency or have its funding and staff reduced to 2019 levels. This has raised concerns about reduced oversight, accountability, and the potential for negative impacts on relapse rates and overall health outcomes.