In surprise move, Trump restores services to swing state following powerful backlash

The Trump administration notified agencies last Tuesday night that it was suddenly terminating $2 billion — including millions in Ohio — for programs supporting vulnerable people. Amid a powerful backlash, it reversed itself a day later.

The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA, Tuesday night sent letters to public and private providers of services to support children’s mental health, prevent teen suicide, help the homeless, assist the addicted, and other services.

Across the country, workers in those programs were left to wonder how they’d pay their own bills — and to worry what would happen to those who had suddenly lost their help.

Even with the reversal of the cuts, the chaos further demoralized social-services workers already reeling from deep Republican cuts to Medicaid and federal food assistance that Trump signed last summer, NPR reported.

SAMHSA is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human services. That agency is led by Robert Kennedy Jr., himself a recovering drug addict who has made highly controversial changes to health policy.

The agency’s letter notified providers that it was terminating programs “if an award no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities.”

Mental health and substance-abuse recovery programs were among those being cut despite those priorities being in the agency’s name.

The letter said it wanted to promote “innovative programs and interventions that address the rising rates of mental illness and substance abuse conditions, overdose, and suicide and their connections to chronic diseases, homelessness, and other challenges our (n)ation’s communities face.”

It didn’t address the potential harm that eliminating existing programs with no warning might do to people suffering from those problems.

The Ohio Children’s Alliance partners with local groups to help young adults aging out of foster care, provide behavioral health care to children, support to vulnerable families, and to provide other services.

Funding for a program to provide extra help to families caring for children with special needs fell under Tuesday’s sudden budget ax.

“Like many charitable nonprofits across the country, we were caught in the rapid changes around SAMHSA’s grant decisions this week,” Children’s Alliance CEO Mecum said in an email Thursday.

“One of our major initiatives—focused on building respite care capacity for children and families—was directly affected by the uncertainty. We appreciate our state partners at the Department of Behavioral Health, who have been transparent as we await formal federal guidance.”

He added, “Regardless of the final outcome, this episode highlights how essential it is for federal funding decisions to be stable and predictable so that states and community organizations can provide reliable, sustainable programs that empower families.”

Asked for comment on Wednesday, the office of Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and the Department of Behavioral Health said they were monitoring the situation and couldn’t comment further. It’s unclear whether DeWine registered any protest with the Trump administration.

SAMHSA didn’t respond to a request for comment.

NPR reported an immediate, bipartisan backlash to the sudden cuts, which might explain why they were so quickly rescinded.

But while groups working with vulnerable populations might be breathing a sigh of relief, Tuesday’s cuts weren’t the first the Trump administration made to SAMHSA.

Early last year, an Elon Musk-led group cut 100 workers at the agency, including some helping to run a 988 suicide and crisis hotline.

Musk’s group also cut resources to fight the opioid crisis in Ohio.

“Overdose and substance misuse prevention has been particularly targeted by the (Musk) cuts, threatening recent progress in the fight to end the opioid epidemic…” Policy Matters Ohio reported in April.

“SAMSHA staff also provide the expertise, support, and data tracking to manage the State Opioid and Stimulant Response Grant, a key part of Ohio’s response to the opioid crisis.“