Pappas Leads Call to Reverse HHS RIFs Decimating Addiction and Recovery Resources During Substance Use Prevention Month

Today Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01), joined by Representatives Don Beyer (VA-08), Madeline Dean (PA-04), Brittany Petterson (CO-07), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), and Paul Tonko (NY-20), led a group of 35 House members in calling on Secretary Kennedy to reverse reductions in force that laid off Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) staff and provide Congress with critical information detailing the reorganization of SAMHSA, the justification for such restructuring, and how many employees currently remain in each Center, office and division of the department. Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander (NH-02) also signed the letter.

Last week, the Trump Administration and Secretary Kennedy announced that additional mass layoffs occurred at SAMHSA, with more than 100 employees laid off. These layoffs violate federal law, which prohibits reductions in force during a government shutdown. SAMHSA is responsible for operating the 988 National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, administering State Opioid Response (SOR) grants, and supporting a wide range of services that help fight the addiction crisis and support individuals in recovery, including funding housing, treatment, and expanding peer support networks, among other responsibilities. 

“Far too many American families have experienced the devastating impacts of the addiction and mental health crises,” wrote the lawmakers. “Instead of supporting our communities, the administration has repeatedly taken steps to eliminate resources from those who need them most.”

“This RIF comes on the heels of a series of actions taken by the administration to defund SAMHSA,” they continued. “The Department’s dangerous vision to combine SAMHSA with other divisions to create the Administration for a Healthy America will dilute the program’s impact on addiction and mental health. HHS’s 10 regional offices, which include SAMHSA offices, have been consolidated into four and SAMHSA’s staff had already been significantly reduced before the latest RIF. These cuts weaken our ability to respond to crises and save lives.”

They concluded by calling for the reinstatement of SAMHSA employees, writing, “This administration’s decision to dismantle SAMHSA has been executed without regard for the communities they will harm. We urge you to reverse your decision to lay off these workers and reinstate them immediately. We must return these employees to their lifesaving work.”

In a lawsuit brought by the American Federation of Government Employees and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston granted a temporary restraining order to pause the implementation of the most recent RIFs. While this pause provides some relief, the matter will be taken up again on October 28 and federal employees who were targeted in the most recent mass layoffs, including SAMHSA employees, are still at risk.

Read the full letter here and below. 

Dear Secretary Kennedy,

We write to you regarding the Reduction in Force (RIF) at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). It has been reported that numerous SAMHSA employees have been laid off, which is the latest in a series of actions that this administration has taken to weaken SAMHSA, a vital resource in the fight against the substance use and mental health epidemics.

Far too many American families have experienced the devastating impacts of the addiction and mental health crises. Instead of supporting our communities, the administration has repeatedly taken steps to eliminate resources from those who need them most. Our understanding is that more than 100 employees have been laid off, a significant divestment in SAMHSA’s workforce that will be detrimental to the program’s ability to distribute resources and support community organizations.

SAMHSA has served as a critical lifeline for countless individuals, advancing prevention efforts—including the distribution of naloxone—while also supporting comprehensive treatment and recovery services. It has played a key role in building the 988 National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, expanding peer support networks, and enhancing crisis care coordination. Additionally, SAMHSA has extended vital prevention, treatment, and recovery resources to Americans living with mental health and substance use disorders, including those in underserved rural areas and communities impacted by disasters.

This RIF comes on the heels of a series of actions taken by the administration to defund SAMHSA. The Department’s dangerous vision to combine SAMHSA with other divisions to create the Administration for a Healthy America will dilute the program’s impact on addiction and mental health. HHS’s 10 regional offices, which include SAMHSA offices, have been consolidated into four and SAMHSA’s staff had already been significantly reduced before the latest RIF. These cuts weaken our ability to respond to crises and save lives.

From the cancelation of a suicide and drug addiction prevention summit to the halting of the construction of a mental health crisis center, our constituents’ health is hanging in the balance. This administration’s decision to dismantle SAMHSA has been executed without regard for the communities that will be harmed. We urge you to reverse your decision to lay off these workers and reinstate them immediately. We must return these employees to their lifesaving work.

Given the urgency of the matter, we also ask that you provide the following information by October 31, 2025.

1. Describe, in detail, the reorganization of SAMHSA, the justification for such reorganization, and how many employees remain in each Center, office and division. For each change either by reorganization and/or staff reduction, please provide a comparison to staffing prior to January 20, 2025, and how proposed changes will improve the ability of the Department to carry out its authorized and funded activities.
2. Does SAMHSA retain its own grant making function as statutorily required or does that now go through HRSA?
3. When will SAMHSA disseminate information to stakeholders (Advisory Committees, grantees, Congress, and others) about the new staffing configuration?
4. It has been reported that the entire Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education) team was laid off. Please delineate each Center, office and division in which staffing has been reduced more than 50 percent compared to January 20, 2025, and expected impacts on Congressionally mandated activities.

We thank you for your attention and consideration of this request, and we look forward to your timely response.

Background:

In March, Pappas led 50 of his House colleagues in urging HHS Secretary Kennedy to reverse the cancellation of almost $12 billion in federal grants for state health services from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which included $80 million in public health funding for New Hampshire.