A sign for the 988 Lifeline mental health crisis hotline in Walnut Creek, California, dated December 20, 2024. Over 100 staff members at the agency managing this service were dismissed under the Trump administration.
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Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images
More than a hundred employees at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the federal agency overseeing mental health initiatives, were recently laid off, according to sources familiar with the matter.
These current and former SAMHSA staff members, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed that the dismissals were part of a broader government-wide workforce reduction amid the ongoing federal shutdown. Notifications of the layoffs were reportedly delivered late on a Friday evening, with no clear explanation provided by administration officials regarding the selection process for terminations.
One insider described the atmosphere among employees as one of disbelief and confusion, stating, “The prevailing sentiment today is shock – and a lack of understanding about the reasons behind these decisions.”
While exact figures vary, two former employees estimate that approximately 125 individuals lost their positions out of SAMHSA’s roughly 900-person workforce.
The Department of Health and Human Services has yet to issue a statement addressing these developments.
SAMHSA plays a critical role in managing the nationwide 988 suicide prevention hotline and distributes billions in funding to support mental health and substance abuse programs across states. Established in 1992 through bipartisan legislation signed by President George H.W. Bush, the agency’s 2024 budget stood at about $7.5 billion, primarily allocated to state-level initiatives targeting behavioral health challenges.
Rachel Winograd, a clinical psychologist at the University of Missouri-Saint Louis, emphasized earlier this year that SAMHSA’s funding is fundamental to the nation’s behavioral health infrastructure. She warned, “If those grants were eliminated, the consequences would be devastating.”
Despite its vital mission, SAMHSA has faced skepticism from the current administration. President Trump had proposed significant budget cuts to the agency under his “Big Beautiful Bill.” Additionally, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced plans to integrate SAMHSA’s responsibilities into a newly formed entity called the Administration for a Healthy America.
CDC Experiences Uncertainty Amid Partial Reversals of Layoffs
The entrance sign to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, dated August 27, 2025. Multiple divisions within the agency are experiencing staff reductions.
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Brynn Anderson/AP
Alongside SAMHSA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also underwent workforce reductions on the same Friday evening, according to two employees affected by the layoffs who spoke under anonymity. However, the situation at the CDC appeared to shift by late Saturday, as some dismissals were rescinded.
One CDC staff member received a letter from Tom Nagy, Chief Human Capital Officer at the Department of Health and Human Services, officially revoking their termination notice. This letter, reviewed by NPR, indicated that the employee’s Reduction in Force was canceled.
Sources suggest that similar reversals occurred for other CDC employees, though the exact number remains unclear.
Before these reversals, a CDC official who was laid off described the agency’s cuts as widespread, impacting divisions responsible for disease monitoring, outbreak prediction, chronic illness management, immunization programs, and respiratory disease control. The official remarked, “If the goal was to undermine America’s public health capabilities without explicitly stating it, this approach-removing the key personnel who analyze data, maintain stability, and communicate with the public-would be an effective method.”
The New York Times has also reported significant reductions at the CDC, including the dismissal of two senior leaders overseeing the agency’s measles response team. The Department of Health and Human Services did not provide comments on the CDC layoffs by the time of publication.
Contributions to this report were made by NPR’s Pien Huang and Jeff Brady.
