Sen. Lesser Responds to $2B Trump Cuts to Mental Health Programs

Today, State Senator Matt Lesser, Senate Chair of the Human Services Committee, responded to reports that the Trump administration has cut $2 billion nationwide in Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grants.

These grants fund nonprofits, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS), affecting those seeking treatment for substance abuse, mental health supports and more across the state and the country.

“This is one more chaotic act from an administration who thinks the law doesn’t apply to them. This will directly harm folks in every town in Connecticut who are looking for substance abuse and mental health treatment, regardless of their political affiliation. The decision to cut these funds in the middle of the night with no explanation is illegal, unconscionable and unjustifiable. My phone has been ringing off the hook from nurses, doctors and front line providers who are losing their jobs or worried they might, with no warning, and no notice whatsoever. Connecticut residents will die without access to these critical treatments and cutting them with no notice defies logic, common sense and humanity.”