U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, joined 19 Senate Democratic colleagues in pressing the Trump administration for answers over its recent ploy to cut nearly $2 billion in federal funding for critical substance abuse and mental health services, including over $10 million to New York, only to reverse course on its decision one day later, causing mass chaos and confusion for patients and providers nationwide.

“These critical substance abuse and mental health services provide a lifeline to millions of Americans, and it is vital that they remain fully funded and protected,” said Gillibrand. “Congress appropriated these funds to support people in need across the country, and the administration’s unlawful attempts to cut them are unconscionable. While I am relieved that this funding has been restored, the chaos and uncertainty has caused lasting harm. This is not the first time the Trump administration has sought to weaken these essential programs and undermine decades of hard-fought progress against the overdose epidemic, and I will keep fighting to protect and strengthen these programs and the critical work being done on the front lines of the opioid crisis.”

Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) abruptly announced its plan to cancel over 2,000 active grants administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Funding for many of these programs was just recently reauthorized by Congress on a bipartisan basis under the SUPPORT Act.

Less than a day later, it was reported that HHS had reversed course on its plan to cancel the grants, retaining current funding levels as appropriated by Congress. Despite this, the immediate cancellation of the grants followed by the unexpected reinstatement caused mass confusion and chaos. Providers were left questioning if they had funding to continue their services, while patients were left unsure if they would continue to have access to the mental health and addiction treatment services they rely on.

Furthermore, the senators noted in their letter that the abrupt issuance of these grant termination notices without warning, explanation, or apparent statutory basis, as was reported, would be a violation of federal grant law.

In addition to Senator Gillibrand, the letter to HHS was signed by Democrat Sens. Ron Wyden of Oregon, Alex Padilla of California, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland, Edward Markey of Massachusetts and others.