Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (8th District of Illinois)
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressmen Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and Seth Moulton (D-MA) joined in leading 107 House Democrats in calling on Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. and President Donald Trump to scrap plans that would cut funding for the specialized services for LGBTQ+ youth who contact the 988 National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
“America has a youth mental health crisis, and LGBTQ+ youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers,” the congressmen wrote in their letter. “The 988 hotline for LGBTQ+ youth has recently received an average of 2,100 contacts per day, and since 2022, it has received over 1.3 million calls, texts, and chats. America’s mental health crisis affects every community, and every family knows someone who has experienced distress. Mental health crises do not recognize partisan differences, and this is why support for 988 and its specialized services has always been firmly bipartisan.”
The specialized services 988 offers, particularly for high-risk groups like LGBTQ+ youth and veterans, are critical to saving lives. Any proposal to cut funding in the President’s budget and thereby cut off access to this life-saving support for vulnerable young people run counter to the best practices in suicide prevention.
“Cutting off specialized 988 services for LGBTQ+ youth in crisis is not just wrong, it’s dangerous,” Congressman Krishnamoorthi said. “LGBTQI+ youth already face a heightened risk of suicide, and removing tailored support could have deadly consequences. Every American, regardless of who they are or whom they love, deserves access to compassionate, life-saving mental health care, especially in moments of deepest distress.”
“Suicide remains a serious public health concern in the U.S., and we know from research that certain groups have higher risk, including Veterans and LGBTQ+ youth. This is why these groups have dedicated services within the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, where uniquely trained counselors help prevent suicide in these disproportionately impacted populations,” Robert Gebbia, CEO of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, said. “We understand that funding may be eliminated for 988 LGBTQ+ specialized services, and we urge the administration to continue its existing support for crisis services, including those for at-risk LGBTQ+ youth. These crisis response services are effective and save young lives.”
“I am deeply grateful to these members of Congress for speaking out and urging the administration to reverse course on their proposal to end life-saving suicide prevention services for LGBTQ+ youth across the U.S. Tailoring suicide prevention services to ensure they’re effective for the most at-risk groups should not be political; it is simply clinical best practice. I applaud these lawmakers for their vocal support of these evidence-backed, bipartisan crisis services that have already supported an estimated 1.3 million LGBTQ+ youth and counting,” Jaymes Black, CEO of The Trevor Project, said.
“988 is about providing hope and saving lives. Tragically, we lose too many young lives to suicide, especially LGBTQ+ young people,” Hannah Wesolowski, Chief Advocacy Officer of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, said. “We thank these members of Congress for prioritizing resources for people who need them, and for working to maintain these services to provide vital, lifesaving support to our LGBTQ+ community.”
The full text of the letter can be found here and below.
Dear Secretary Kennedy,
President Trump’s budget threatens to end specialized services for LGBTQ+ youth who contact 988, the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Ending this mental health support for youth in distress would devastate a vital resource for some of our nation’s most vulnerable young people. This shortsighted and dangerous plan undermines 988’s ability to provide tailored support for a population with a higher risk of suicide and will have lethal consequences if enacted. Surely you can agree that every American deserves the resources necessary to prevent suicide and self-injury, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
America has a youth mental health crisis, and LGBTQ+ youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers. The 988 hotline for LGBTQ+ youth has recently received an average of 2,100 contacts per day and, since 2022, it has received over 1.3 million calls, text, and chats. America’s mental health crisis affects every community and every family knows someone who has experienced distress. Mental health crises do not recognize partisan differences, and this is why support for 988 and its specialized services has always been firmly bipartisan.
When Congress established the 988 lifeline, signed into law by President Trump during his first term, we intended it to be a resource for any American experiencing mental distress. To a young person feeling alone and scared, 988 is truly a lifeline. The specialized services it is able to provide to individuals with a higher risk of suicidality, such as LGBTQ+ youth and veterans, are especially vital to provide high-risk groups with custom support. Consideration of cutting off this life-saving resource to vulnerable youth and young adults goes against best practices in suicide prevention.
We urge that you scrap this ill-advised plan. Our nation’s children deserve nothing less.