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From WisPolitics.com/WisBusiness.com …
— U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin is demanding the Trump administration “provide answers” for moving to slash $2 billion for mental health and addiction programs before quickly reversing the decision.
Speaking during an online press conference today, the Madison Dem said the funding cut announcement and reversal represents “more of the same” from the administration.
“For nearly a year, we’ve seen Donald Trump and RJK Jr. delay, freeze, slash or simply terminate support for livesaving programs Wisconsin families rely on,” she said, pointing to cuts to LGBTQ+ youth services, medical research funding and lead testing. “This president talks a big game about making America healthy again, but time and again we’ve watched this administration do just the opposite.”
Baldwin was joined today by leaders of organizations that received grant termination letters Tuesday from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, before the decision was reportedly reversed following widespread backlash.
Rita Von Haden, executive director of the Coulee Recovery Center in La Crosse, said this week “was a whirlwind to say the least” given the group’s reliance on federal grant funding. Von Haden said she initially thought the notice of the funding cut was spam, and had to check with her federal contact to verify it.
“It was definitely a huge blow, and it was a long 40 hours, I will say,” she said. “And I mean, I’m happy it’s back, but I still can’t guarantee it’s going to stay.”
Baldwin slammed the Trump administration’s approach to notifying grantees of the later reversed cuts without warning, noting the letters said their work “no longer aligned” with the administration’s public health agenda.
“Apparently, preventing suicide and providing mental health support to children does not line up with Donald Trump’s priority,” she said, adding “when programs got this notice, many likely began cancelling appointments, working on plans to fire or furlough staff, and for some, shutting down operations altogether.”
She added: “While the Trump administration has restored this funding after we spoke out, it doesn’t erase the chaos and the sense of unease that we have sown for Americans in crisis and those who support them.”
See the release below.
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