Krishnamoorthi, Lawler, Davids, Moulton, Mental Health Leaders Call on Trump Administration to Immediately Restore LGBTQ+ 988 Lifeline Youth Crisis Services

WASHINGTON - On Wednesday, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) joined Representatives Mike Lawler (R-NY), Sharice Davids (D-KS), and Seth Moulton (D-MA), along with leaders from The Trevor Project, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and the Mental Health Liaison Group, to call on the Trump Administration to immediately restore the specialized LGBTQ+ youth crisis services formerly available through the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline's "Press 3" option. Although the Department of Health and Human Services has committed to restoring the services before the end of the year, the bipartisan coalition urged the Administration to immediately implement the funding Congress has already appropriated and restore the specialized LGBTQ+ youth crisis services without further delay.

"Before the Trump Administration ended it, the 988 Lifeline's specialized LGBTQ+ youth crisis services connected with nearly 1.6 million young people during some of the darkest moments of their lives. When you reach that many young people, you're meeting a real need and making a real difference. Congress came together on a bipartisan basis to restore these lifesaving services and appropriated the funding to make it happen. Congress did its job. Now the Trump Administration must implement the law and restore these services without another day's delay," Krishnamoorthi said.

Congressman Krishnamoorthi helped secure $33.1 million to restore the 988 Lifeline's specialized LGBTQ+ youth crisis services and introduced bipartisan legislation to protect them permanently. According to The Trevor Project, 41 percent of LGBTQ+ young people in Illinois seriously considered suicide in the past year, including 48 percent of transgender and nonbinary youth.