Regina LaBelle

Rule Changes

Critic of funding cuts; advocating for continued federal investment

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