Hirono warns of mental health crisis impacts from proposed federal agency cuts

US Sen. Mazie Hirono joined a group of Senate Democrats in urging the Department of Health and Human Services to halt proposed staffing reductions at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), citing concerns for mental health services across the country—including Hawaiʻi.

In a letter to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the senators warned that additional cuts—up to 50% of SAMHSA’s remaining staff—would significantly weaken the nation’s mental health infrastructure. The letter notes that the agency already lost 10% of its workforce earlier this year, including staff responsible for managing the 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, a federally supported service that has responded to over 14.5 million calls since launching in July 2022.

“We are deeply troubled that in the midst of our nation’s mental health and substance use crisis, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) saw fit to downsize the agency responsible for fighting these twin epidemics,” the senators wrote.

According to data collected by SAMHSA—which has since been removed from their website in response to Trump’s Executive Orders removing mentions of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion preferencing from federal agencies—members of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community have the lowest rates of mental health service utilization of any racial/ethnic group. In 2021, an estimated 77% of the AANHPI community did not receive treatment to address any mental health issues, despite being meeting the criteria to do so. Additionally, suicide is currently the leading cause of death for AANHPI youth ages 10 to 24.

The proposed staffing reductions follow a broader restructuring plan announced by Secretary Kennedy last week, which would dissolve SAMHSA and merge its programs into a new “Administration for a Healthy America.” Critics say the move would undercut essential services, such as SAMHSA’s $7 billion in annual mental health and substance use disorder grants to states, localities and tribes.

Lawmakers also raised alarms about the shutdown of two SAMHSA regional offices serving the South and Midwest, which they say has already disrupted oversight of local care providers. The closures, the senators said, have left 14 states without direct access to regional support for mental health and substance use programs.

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, nearly 49 million Americans over age 12 experienced a substance use disorder in 2023. Another 58.7 million adults reported a mental health condition. Suicide rates have climbed 36% over the past two decades, becoming one of the leading causes of death for people ages 10 to 64.

The letter was led by Senators Hirono and Alex Padilla (D-CA), and signed by 11 other Democratic senators, including Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Tina Smith (D-MN).

The full text of the letter is available here.