Trump Administration Cuts Staff at Key Mental Health Agency

The Trump administration has laid off between 100 and 150 workers at the nation’s lead federal agency for substance use and mental health initiatives, further gutting the federal health workforce.

Employees at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration received reduction-in-force notices as part of the Trump administration’s staffing cuts during the federal government shutdown, according to three people familiar who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation.

SAMHSA oversees several programs and grants that support mental health services and substance use disorder treatments.

Already, staffing reductions have taken a toll on SAMHSA. It lost half of its employees in April, according to a court filing by several states looking to block the health department’s reorganization efforts. This meant losing workers who helped states submit information for grant funding and promoted awareness of the 988 Lifeline, according to the court filing.

It is one of several Department of Health and Human Services sub-agencies the Trump administration is moving to absorb into a new Administration for a Healthy America. The president’s budget for fiscal 2026 proposed eliminating many grants and programs in the process.

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The cuts come amid a broader reduction of the federal health workforce. In an Oct. 10 court filing, the Trump administration said that as of that day, the US Department of Health and Human Services—under which SAMHSA operates—had issued RIF notices to between 1,100 and 1,200 department employees.

Two people familiar with the details of the cuts said SAMHSA departments within the Center for Mental Health Services, the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, and Center for Substance Abuse Prevention faced reductions. The Office of Communications also saw cuts.

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Andrew Nixon, director of communications for the HHS, said in an email, “All employees receiving reduction-in-force notices were designated as non-essential by their respective divisions. HHS continues to streamline operations and reduce duplication to better serve the American people.”