Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Rule Changes

Runs and funds 988

Suicide rates among Americans aged 15 to 34 had climbed for more than a decade. The federal government replaced the 10-digit crisis lifeline with 988 in July 2022. A JAMA study published April 22, 2026 found that suicide deaths in that age group ran 11% below projections over the next two and a half years, an estimated 4,400 fewer deaths.

Updated 5 days ago

Rule Changes

Being absorbed into Administration for a Healthy America; no permanent administrator

SAMHSA distributed $7.5 billion annually to fight addiction and mental illness. In one year, the Trump administration has cut its workforce by more than half, terminated roughly $2 billion in grants in March 2025, and folded the 33-year-old agency into a new bureaucratic structure that does not yet exist. On January 14, 2026, the administration abruptly terminated up to 2,800 additional grants totaling roughly $2 billion—then reversed course within 24 hours after bipartisan Congressional outcry, reinstating all funding. The whiplash left providers demoralized and uncertain about future stability.

Updated Jan 31