In this Nov. 30, 2021, photo, syringes and vials of Naloxone are shown during the media tour of the supervised drug injection site OnPoint, in New York.
Yuki Iwamura/AFP/Getty Images
hide caption
toggle caption
Yuki Iwamura/AFP/Getty Images
A recent decision to reverse sweeping cuts to mental health and addiction programs worth more than $2 billion has been confirmed by a Trump administration official to NPR.
Letters terminating funding were sent out late Tuesday night, causing shockwaves throughout the country’s public health system. However, letters will soon be sent out to restore that funding.
Following a political backlash from both Republicans and Democrats, the Department of Health and Human Services has reversed its decision, and the grant money will be reinstated.
The abrupt termination of funding caught care providers across the United States off guard, leading to a strong negative reaction from lawmakers and organizations nationwide. NPR was the first to report on this development.
An administration official with direct knowledge of the decision, who requested anonymity, confirmed that the grants are being restored.
Over 2,000 organizations and grant recipients are being notified of the funding restoration as quickly as possible, according to the source.
Public health advocates expressed a mix of relief and alarm at the news.
“It was a day of panic across the country. People are deeply alarmed but hopeful that this money is being restored,” said Hannah Wesolowski of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
“This demonstrates the bipartisan support in Congress for mental health. We heard from offices on both sides of the political aisle who were actively working on this issue throughout the day,” she added.
The termination letters sent out on Tuesday stated that various mental health and addiction programs did not align with the Trump administration’s public health agenda and would no longer receive funding, surprising care providers.
The ensuing backlash led to high-level meetings within the Trump administration, resulting in the decision being reversed by Wednesday evening.
NPR has not been able to ascertain who initially made the decision to cut the funds, nor has it been revealed who made the decision to reinstate the funding.
Public health officials across the U.S. described the past 48 hours as chaotic.
