Overview
- Termination letters sent Jan. 13 informed roughly 2,000 grantees their awards were ended effective immediately for “non-alignment” with agency priorities, with notices signed by SAMHSA’s Christopher Carroll.
- The canceled awards spanned an estimated $1.9–$2 billion across thousands of discretionary grants supporting opioid treatment, suicide prevention, reentry services, child trauma care, and HIV/hepatitis C prevention.
- An administration official told NPR that all affected organizations were being notified that full funding would be restored, following widespread alarm from providers and advocates.
- Some major programs were reported to be spared from the outset, including 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline funding, Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics, and certain state or block grants, though related technical assistance was cut.
- Providers reported immediate layoffs and service disruptions after the letters, while reports indicated SAMHSA staff were not widely informed and bipartisan lawmakers pressed for a reversal; HHS and SAMHSA offered limited public comment.