Trump cuts mental health agency as shutdown continues

The Trump administration has laid off more than 100 employees at the nation’s main mental health agency, NPR has learned.

Current and former employees of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) told NPR about the layoffs, which were part of a government-wide reduction in force. The sources, who were not authorized to speak publicly about the agency, said the layoffs came late Friday, as the government shutdown continued in the country.

Employees have been notified b "Force reduction" Shortly before 8 p.m. ET on Friday, according to a source within the agency who was not authorized to discuss the layoffs publicly. According to the source, administration officials did not provide any rationale for those who lost their jobs:

"I think the general feeling today is shock – and not understanding why?" The source told NPR.

This source was aware of dozens of shootings. Two former employees told NPR that the total number of employees at SAMHSA who lost their jobs was about 125, although that number was a rough estimate. SAMHSA employed about 900 people at the beginning of this administration, but has already lost a third of that number due to layoffs in the spring. With this latest round of dismissals, that number has nearly halved.

The Department of Health and Human Services, which includes SAMHSA, confirmed the cuts in a statement.

"HHS employees across multiple departments are receiving force reduction notices as a direct result of the Democratic-led government shutdown." Andrew Nixon, the department’s director of communications, wrote to NPR in an email late Saturday.

SAMHSA is responsible for overseeing the new 988 Suicide Prevention Hotline. It also provides billions of dollars in grants for mental health and addiction services. It was created in 1992 through bipartisan legislation and signed by then-President George H.W. In 2024, its budget was about $7.5 billion, most of which went directly to states for programs aimed at mental health and addiction issues.

SAMHSA funds "They are the backbone of behavioral health in this country," Rachel Winograd, a psychologist at the University of Missouri St. Louis, told NPR: Earlier this year. "If these grants go, we will fail."

Despite having what many consider an essential role in protecting the nation’s mental health, SAMHSA has not been viewed favorably by the current administration. President Trump had proposed cutting its budget as part of the Big Beautiful Bill. Earlier this year, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told Congress that he intended to consolidate his duties into a new program that he called the Administration for a Healthy America.

CDC is in a state of confusion with reversing some cuts

SAMHSA wasn’t the only agency to see layoffs Friday evening. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also appears to have suffered staff reductions, according to two employees who said they were affected by the layoffs. Both employees were not allowed to speak to the press while the layoffs were being finalized.

But the CDC cuts appeared to be in flux late Saturday. In an apparent reversal, the firing of an employee was reversed, according to a letter seen by NPR. The letter, from Tom Nagy, chief human capital officer at the Department of Health and Human Services, said the employee force reduction was "It is hereby revoked."

The source said they were aware of other setbacks at the CDC, but it was not clear how many employees had received such letters.

Before that decision was reversed, a CDC official who was laid off told NPR that the agency was subject to significant staffing cuts in offices responsible for disease surveillance, outbreak forecasting, chronic disease, immunization and respiratory diseases, to name a few. "If you wanted to weaken America’s public health capacity without explicitly saying so, this is how you would do it — remove the people who connect the dots, steady the ship, and keep the public informed." The fired official told NPR.

New York Times also Reported widespread cuts at the public health agency, including two senior officials responsible for overseeing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s measles response team.

In a separate statement sent to NPR, HHS’s Nixon said some employees had received… "Incorrect notifications" and "They are not separated from the agency." "It is not subject to force reduction," books.

Nixon also indicated the possibility of further cuts: "The Department of Health and Human Services continues to close wasteful and duplicative entities, including those that conflict with the Trump Administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda." He said.

NPR’s Pien Huang and Jeff Brady contributed to this report.

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