Tonko Heralds Reversal of Trump Administration Cuts to Mental Health & Addiction Services

WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Paul D. Tonko (NY-20), Co-chair of the Congressional Addiction, Treatment, and Recovery (ATR) Caucus, today cheered the reinstatement of nearly $2 billion in grants to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The reinstatement of this funding, which spanned more than 2,000 grants across the nation that addressed issues from youth overdose prevention to prenatal and postpartum care for women, comes just one day after grantees received letters from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) abruptly cancelling this funding.

Yesterday, Tonko led 100 colleagues in the House in a bipartisan letter to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. calling for clarity from the administration on the reason for the sudden slash in grants and demanding that funding be restored immediately.

"Following a groundswell of opposition, the Trump administration announced that they would restore funding to the thousands of programs that provide lifesaving behavioral health care across the nation," Congressman Tonko said. "I'm proud of the swift and resolute push by myself, my colleagues, media, and advocates to call attention to these disastrous cuts and hold this administration accountable for the pain they would inflict. The announced reversal of these cuts is a victory for anyone who cares about addressing mental health and addiction in our communities. But let's be clear, these cuts should never have happened in the first place.

Tonko continued, "The notice of these cuts sent shockwaves of chaos through the organizations seeking to address mental health and addiction and fear for the countless individuals who depend on this treatment. These are people's lives on the line, and they should never be so callously and senselessly swept aside. I'll be following closely to ensure that every dollar that Congress approved for these programs is delivered. To this administration I implore - do better."

Rep. Tonko has been sounding the alarm on Trump administration cuts to SAMHSA and the impact on funding for communities for the last year. In March of 2025, he held a roundtable with fired SAMHSA workers about the devastating impact of cuts to the agency, and has repeatedly called out further actions by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to cut these programs and fire staff.

The letter can be viewed HERE. Members who signed on are as follows:

Co-leads: Tonko, Paul; Dean, Madeleine; Beyer, Donald; Salinas, Andrea; Fitzpatrick, Brian; Trahan, Lori; Pettersen, Brittany; Matsui, Doris; Moulton, Seth; Amo, Gabe; Carter, Troy; Balint, Becca; Schrier, Kim;

Signers: Auchincloss, Jake; Bell, Wesley; Bishop, Sanford; Bonamici, Suzanne; Bresnahan, Robert; Brown, Shontel; Budzinski, Nikki; Carbajal, Salud; Casten, Sean; Castro, Joaquin; Chu, Judy; Cohen, Steve; Davis, Danny; DelBene, Suzan; Deluzio, Christopher; Dexter, Maxine; Dingell, Debbie; Doggett, Lloyd; Elfreth, Sarah; Escobar, Veronica; Espaillat, Adriano; Fields, Cleo; Figures, Shomari; Fletcher, Lizzie; García, Jesús; Gillen, Laura; Goldman, Daniel; Grijalva, Adelita; Harder, Josh; Hernández, Pablo; Horsford, Steven; Hoyle, Val; Ivey, Glenn; Jacobs, Sara; Jayapal, Pramila; Kamlager-Dove, Sydney; Kelly, Robin; Kennedy, Timothy; Khanna, Ro; Krishnamoorthi, Raja; Landsman, Greg; Larsen, Rick; Larson, John; Lee, Summer; Lee, Susie; Leger Fernandez, Teresa; Lynch, Stephen; McClellan, Jennifer; McDonald Rivet, Kristen; McGovern, James; McIver, LaMonica; Meeks, Gregory; Meng, Grace; Morrison, Kelly; Moylan, James; Norcross, Donald; Omar, Ilhan; Panetta, Jimmy; Pappas, Chris; Pelosi, Nancy; Pocan, Mark; Pou, Nellie; Pressley, Ayanna; Quigley, Mike; Ramirez, Delia; Randall, Emily; Riley, Josh; Rivas, Luz; Scanlon, Mary Gay; Schakowsky, Janice; Schneider, Bradley; Simon, Lateefah; Smith, Adam; Stansbury, Melanie; Stanton, Greg; Strickland, Marilyn; Suozzi, Thomas; Swalwell, Eric; Takano, Mark; Thompson, Mike; Tlaib, Rashida; Tokuda, Jill; Vasquez, Gabe; Walkinshaw, James; Watson Coleman, Bonnie; Whitesides, George; Williams, Nikema