As a part of an internal budget proposal that made the rounds in the White House in April, the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for LGBTQ+ youth was on the chopping block in the latest round of cuts. Last Wednesday, May 7, seven Democratic Senators wrote a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. denouncing the Trump administration’s plan and appealing to the HHS head to save it.
A leaked fiscal year 2026 budget draft, which was reported on first by The Washington Post, shows the administration proposing the elimination of all funding for the LGBTQ+ hotline. Speaking about the hotline to the news outlet Axios, a spokesperson for the Office of Management and Budget said in a statement that the president’s budget “funds the 988 at $520 million – the same number as under Biden.”
“It does not, however,” the spokesperson added, “grant taxpayer money to a chat service where children are encouraged to embrace radical gender ideology by ‘counselors’ without consent or knowledge of their parents.”
“We write with grave concerns regarding reports that the draft FY26 Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) budget proposes defunding the LGBTQ+ youth suicide and crisis hotline,” the letter begins. “The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services program provides lifesaving services to LGBTQ+ youth, who face a higher risk of significant mental health challenges and barriers to receiving care than their peers.”
“Given the Administration has claimed addressing youth mental health as a priority, elimination of specialized services specifically designed for at-risk youth is irresponsible. We urge you to reconsider and support continued funding for the program.”
The writers and signatories of the letter include Sens. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin; Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey of Massachusetts; Jeff Merkley of Oregon; Sens. Ron Wyden of Oregon; Alex Padilla of California; and Jack Reed of Rhode Island.
The hotline came into existence near the end of Donald Trump’s first term in 2020, when Trump signed the bill ordering its creation. Since 2022, it has received more than 1.2 million crisis contacts, with a spike over the last several months, according to the senators’ letter. Fiscal 2026 begins on October 1.
“After a successful initial phase, Congress recognized the importance of providing specialized services for LGBTQ+ youth and directed the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to expand beyond the pilot to 24/7 operation in fiscal year 2023. To ensure that youth would be able to access the Lifeline by phone, text, or chat whenever they needed it, Congress also increased the program’s funding from $7.2 million for the pilot to $33.1 million in fiscal year 2024 on a bipartisan basis,” the letter notes.
“These specialized services are similar to other dedicated programs for veterans and service members, disaster survivors, individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, and people with neurodivergence. This specialized intervention connects LGBTQ+ youth with specially trained crisis counselors, who can provide understanding, empathetic, and confidential support. Despite the requirement for an operating plan for fiscal year 2025, HHS has provided no information about how or whether it plans to use funds for specialized services or the 988 Suicide Lifeline in general.”
Jaymes Black, CEO of the Trevor Project, released a statement in response to the senators’ letter. “Research continues to show that LGBTQ+ young people experience unique mental health challenges and increased suicide risk. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services adhere to clinical best practices to prevent suicide among this marginalized population, and provides research-backed crisis services from highly trained counselors. Thank you to these Senators for recognizing the life-saving power of continuing to fund these programs, which was passed into law with strong bipartisan support,” Black wrote.
The Trevor Project has estimated that over 1.8 million LGBTQ+ youth in the United States seriously consider suicide each year, with at least one attempting suicide every 45 seconds. Since the day of Trump’s inauguration, the project’s crisis lines saw a 33 percent jump in calls and messages, with the total volume of incoming contacts going up 46 percent, as compared with normal daily rates. The last notable increase in volume happened on November 6, the day after Trump won the 2024 election, where calls and messages hit a record-breaking 700 percent increase due to the final results.
The letter concludes by stating, “While we strongly disagree with the many actions taken by the Trump Administration targeting LGBTQ+ individuals, we believe that suicide prevention should be a nonpartisan issue. Elimination of services that help keep youth alive is reckless, and we urge you to reconsider your proposal to eliminate this lifeline.”
If you or someone you know needs to locate mental health resources and support, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is still currently open to calls and texts via phone, or you can go online to 988lifeline.org for 24/7 access to free and confidential services. The Trans Lifeline, a support network for transgender and gender-nonconforming people, can be reached at (877) 565-8860. The Trevor Project Lifeline, for LGBTQ+ youth (ages 24 and younger), can be reached at (866) 488-7386, or by texting START to 678678.