Washington, D.C. – Reps. Seth Moulton (D-MA) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) are leading 107 House Democrats to call on HHS Secretary Kennedy and President Trump to scrap their threatened plans to cut funding in the President’s Budget for the specialized services for LGBTQ+ youth who contact the 988 National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
In a letter sent to the HHS Secretary Kennedy on Tuesday May 13, the lawmakers write:
“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.”
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.
Congressman Moulton was a co-author of the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020, which was signed into law by President Trump during his first term. This nationwide resource provides immediate support to any American experiencing mental distress. To a young person feeling alone and scared, 988 is truly a lifeline.
“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,” said Robert Gebbia, CEO of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. “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,” said Jaymes Black, CEO of The Trevor Project.
“988 is about providing hope and saving lives. Tragically, we lose too many young lives to suicide, especially LGBTQ+ young people,” said Hannah Wesolowski, Chief Advocacy Officer of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. “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.”
