CQ News: Ending substance abuse office violates mandate, Democrats say
By Sandhya Raman
A group of Senate Democrats is accusing the Trump administration of skirting federal law and threatening millions of lives with a proposal to dissolve the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
SAMHSA, the Department of Health and Human Services agency in charge of mental health and addiction issues, was established through a 1992 law (PL 102-321). HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in March announced a department-wide reorganization plan that would consolidate the substance abuse office and with others within Kennedy’s new Administration for a Healthy America.
In the process, thousands of agency staff have lost their jobs, including many in charge of carrying out SAMHSA’s functions.
CQ NEWS
May. 9, 2025
Ending substance abuse office violates mandate, Democrats say
May 9, 2025 – 7:00 a.m. By Sandhya Raman, CQ
A group of Senate Democrats is accusing the Trump administration of skirting federal law and threatening millions of lives with a proposal to dissolve the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
SAMHSA, the Department of Health and Human Services agency in charge of mental health and addiction issues, was established through a 1992 law (PL 102-321). HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in March announced a department-wide reorganization plan that would consolidate the substance abuse office and with others within Kennedy’s new Administration for a Healthy America.
In the process, thousands of agency staff have lost their jobs, including many in charge of carrying out SAMHSA’s functions.
Last week the Trump administration proposed decreasing funding for SAMHSA as part of its so-called skinny budget proposal and eliminating programming related to harm reduction for drugs.
“We demand that HHS not unlawfully dismantle SAMHSA, which would only serve to further exacerbate a growing mental health and substance use disorder crisis,” Sens. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Tina Smith, D-Minn., and Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., wrote in a letter to Kennedy made public on Friday.
The group cites provisions under the 1992 law as well as a 2016 law known as the 21st Century Cures Act (PL 114-255) that the reorganization and staff layoffs potentially violate.
“Therefore, SAMHSA, its functions, its role, and many of its positions are clearly outlined and required by federal law. Firing most of SAMHSA’s staff and breaking up SAMHSA appear to violate these statutory requirements,” they said.
The 1992 law also created multiple roles, including assistant secretary, and delegated authorities to SAMHSA’s jurisdiction.
Under the 21st Century Cures law, Congress codified SAMHSA’s Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality and required the subagency to publish the annual National Survey of Drug Use and Health. That team was laid off in April.
The law also established the Interdepartmental Serious Mental Illness Coordinating Committee, which was disbanded on April 9.
“The 21st Century Cures Act not only expanded data collection but also improved interdepartmental coordination, something that you claim to prioritize,” they said.
The senators also asked Kennedy to provide answers to nearly a dozen questions about who is filling the statutorily required roles, if there have been gaps in data collection, and insight into short- and long-term planning related to the reorganization.
Separately, Senate Democrats this week criticized Kennedy for not being responsive to their oversight questions during a Senate Finance hearing.
Sanders, ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and Baldwin, a member of that panel, could get some answers on Wednesday, when Kennedy is slated to appear before the committee for the first time since his confirmation.
Read the full article here.