More than 100 lawmakers urge scrapping of federal plans to cut LGBTQ lifeline services
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USA Today - Marc Ramirez
May 13, 2025, 10:43 PM ET

More than 100 Congressional Democrats have signed a letter urging U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to scrub planned budget cuts that would eliminate crucial mental health services for LGBTQ+ youth, who face greater mental health challenges than their peers.

At stake are services offered through the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which has fielded more than 13 million calls, texts and chats from across the U.S. and its territories since its inception. Created through a bipartisan measure signed into law by President Trump in 2020, the lifeline serves veterans and non-English speakers in addition to LGBTQ+ young people.

Similar to calling 911, people looking for mental or emotional health support can call 988, with the further option of being directed to a counselor trained in LGBTQ+ youth support.

"When Congress established the 988 lifeline, ... we intended it to be a resource for any American experiencing mental distress," the representatives' letter said. "To a young person feeling alone and scared, 988 is truly a lifeline."

In response to the lawmakers' letter, a spokesperson for HHS' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration noted that all 988 services currently remain available and unaltered.

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If you, or someone you know, needs help, check out our Support Groups Forum where you can find how to access resources online, chat, or text.

Many of those resources are listed in this post here:
https://www.susans.org/index.php/topic,249512.msg2286371.html#msg2286371

Here's the thing...there are 213 Congressional Democrats. Where were the rest?

A similar letter from the Senate was signed by 7 of the 45 Democrats. Where were the rest?

Beware of any politician who tells you that they're on your side. 

"I think you all know that I've always felt the nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help."  ~ Ronald Reagan

Relying on government has long come with the hazard:  Government sufficient to give you everything you want can just as quickly take it away.

There is a hearts and minds battle we are in constantly.