Trump Administration Proposes Eliminating Funding For LGBTQ+ Suicide Prevention Hotlines

Source: Huff Post

Apr 21, 2025, 05:54 PM EDT


The Trump administration has proposed eliminating funding for suicide prevention services tailored to LGBTQ+ youth, according to a preliminary budget for the Department of Health and Human Services. The draft budget, first obtained by The Washington Post last week, slashes about one-third of the agency’s total spending and eliminates funding for dozens of services for LGBTQ+ youth and adults.

The Trump administration plans to merge the Substance and Mental Health Services Administration, an HHS agency dedicated to improving mental health treatment to vulnerable communities, into a new office called the Administration for a Health America, according to the budget. Through that process, the administration plans on cutting all federal funding for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for LGBTQ+ Youth, as well as mental health services geared toward children, incarcerated youth, indigenous and native communities, unhoused people, and people living with HIV.

The 988 lifeline, which launched nationwide in 2022, is a suicide and crisis hotline that offers free 24/7 crisis support via voice, text and chat services in English and Spanish. In 2023, the 988 line launched a specialized service to address the mental health needs of LGBTQ+ youth.

LGBTQ+ youth are four times more likely than their peers to attempt suicide, and they experience increased rates of depression, anxiety, and bullying and harassment. A 2021 study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 45% of queer high school students had seriously considered attempting suicide, and trans youth face even higher rates of suicidality.

Read more: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-administration-proposes-cutting-funding-lgbtq-suicide-prevention-services_n_6806b0d7e4b031cc81e60c8a