The Trump administration’s drastic government workforce cuts may impact the substance use disorder (SUD) industry, and lawmakers are pushing back.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the federal organization that regulates and funds several aspects of the behavioral health industry, has already experienced a workforce cut – and may be facing far more drastic measures.
The Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE) fired over 10% of SAMHSA’s staff in February, according to CBS News. That equates to over 100 employees, according to STAT.
Additional reductions of 50% to 70% may soon hit SAMHSA, according to a letter addressed to Robert F. Kennedy, the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, signed by Rep. Paul Tonko (D-New York), Rep. Andrea Salinas (D-Oregon) and over 50 of their colleagues.
“It has also come to our attention that almost all staff located in regions four and five have been terminated,” the letter, published on March 6, read. “Currently, the SAMHSA website no longer lists the staff contacts for those regions. Even more concerning, we are told that additional reductions of up to 50% to 70% of SAMHSA’s staff are under consideration. Cutting SAMHSA employees without understanding the impact is extremely dangerous given the behavioral health crises impacting every corner of our nation.”
At the time of this article’s publication, SAMHSA’s website listed contacts for region four, which includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Also listed were region five contacts, which include Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin.
Cutting SAMHSA’s workforce in half would be “extremely dangerous,” the letter read.
SAMHSA regulations and grants regularly impact the SUD treatment industry. For example, in 2024, SAMHSA finalized take-home methadone flexibilities and invested $20 million into behavioral health IT in partnership with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). The organization also promotes access to opioid overdose reversal treatment naloxone and regulates Opioid Treatment Programs (OTPs), working to ensure OTPs’ compliance with federal regulations.
“There are at least 1,500 of these opioid treatment programs across the country who are relying on this support,” the letter read. “Without adequate staff at SAMHSA, OTPs cannot operate, and patients will not receive addictions medications, counseling and other behavioral health services.”
SAMHSA staff also certify mobile treatment units, which offer low-barrier care to people with SUDs, and offer providers more information regarding evidence-based practices, according to the letter.
In the letter addressed to Kennedy, lawmakers requested several clarifying pieces of information by March 10. Among the information requested were the following:
- A list of employees fired since Jan. 20, 2025, and a copy of documents showing plans for future layoffs
- A line-by-line analysis of the impact of a potential 50% reduction in SAMHSA staff, including texts, emails and other documents reflecting if the job cuts are intended to shut down SAMHSA programs by not providing the employees necessary to staff them
“We strongly urge you to reconsider these cuts and stop any further cuts before fully informing Congress of any impacts to overdoses, suicides, and access to mental and behavioral health treatment,” the letter read. “Too many people across the country are suffering without necessary resources.”
