A letter signed by more than 100 Democrats in Congress asks U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to cancel planned budget cuts that would cut important mental health services for LGBTQ+ kids, who have more mental health problems than their peers.
Services from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline are at risk. Since it opened, the line has received more than 13 million calls, texts, and chats from people in the U.S. and its regions. The lifeline was made possible by a bill that was signed into law by President Trump in 2020. It helps LGBTQ+ youth, soldiers, and people who don’t speak English as their first language.
People who need help with their mental or emotional health can call 988, which is similar to calling 911. They can be connected to a counsellor who is skilled in helping LGBTQ+ youth.
Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ youth programs would be cut as part of an HHS overhaul. The Washington Post was the first to report on the plans. The agency’s 28 divisions will be merged into 15 divisions. One of these will be the newly formed Administration for a Healthy America, which will carry out Kennedy’s plan to “Make America Healthy Again.”
The lawmakers’ letter said, “Cancelling this mental health support for youth in distress would destroy an important resource for some of our country’s most vulnerable youth.” “This short-sighted and dangerous plan will kill people if it goes through with it, because it makes it harder for 988 to provide individualised support for a group of people who are more likely to commit suicide.”
The letter has been signed by 109 Congressmen and women, such as Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wisconsin), Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Massachusetts), and Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Illinois).
“Mental health crises don’t care about party lines, which is why support for 988 and its specialised services has always been strong across the aisle,” the lawmakers wrote. “…we strongly advise that you drop this bad idea. The kids in our country deserve better.
Another letter like this one was sent on May 7 by a group of Democratic senators from Massachusetts, including Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Jeff Merkley of Oregon, and Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey.
The planned cuts, which will happen on October 1, come at a time when more LGBTQ+ youth are having mental health problems because of the Trump administration’s harsher attacks on the community. The plan is still just a draft, and Congress will have to agree to the final version before it can become law.
The hotline has gotten 13 million calls, texts, and chats. About 1.2 million of them have been sent to its LGBTQ+ Youth Hotline. The Trevor Project says that the number of these calls has gone up significantly over the last few months. The Trevor Project is one of seven nationally funded contact centres that work with Lifeline to provide specialised support for LGBTQ+ youth.
A national organisation called the Trevor Project works to stop LGBTQ+ youth from committing suicide. They say that suicide is the second most common cause of death for people ages 10 to 14 and the third most common cause of death for people ages 15 to 24. The project says that more than 1.8 million LGBTQ+ teens and young adults in the U.S. seriously consider suicide every year. This is more than four times as many as their peers who try suicide.
“Thinking about risk, not who you are,” said Jaymes Black, CEO of The Trevor Project. Black said that cutting off Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ youth programs “will not just take away access from millions of LGBTQ+ kids and teens.” It could cost them their lives.
In reaction to the lawmakers’ letter, a spokesperson for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration at HHS said that all 988 services are still available and have not been changed.
A spokesperson for the 988 Lifeline said, “The line is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week for calls, texts and chats with trained, caring crisis counsellors who can help people who are having suicidal thoughts, drug problems, mental health crises or any other kind of emotional distress.” “People can also text, call, or chat 988 if they are worried about a family member or friend who might need help in a crisis.” The 988 Lifeline gives people in crisis a direct line to immediate help and tools.