CONTACT: Mariah McGough, mariah@vocal-us.org
VOCAL-US DENOUNCES SUDDEN CUTS TO LIFESAVING PUBLIC HEALTH FUNDS BY TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
VOCAL-US Calls for Decision to be Reversed Immediately, Demands Congress Restore Funding
NEW YORK — In response to the Trump administration’s abrupt cancellation of more than $12 billion in federal public health grants, including roughly $1 billion from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Voices of Community Activists & Leaders (VOCAL-US) released the following statements:
“These cuts are not just bureaucratic decisions – they are death sentences,” said Shameka Parrish-Wright, Director of VOCAL-KY, a part of VOCAL-US. “Slashing SAMHSA funds in the middle of an overdose and mental health crisis shows a total disregard for the lives of poor and working-class people. It’s also a slap in the face, creating chaos and uncertainty, to local public health agencies on the frontlines of saving lives across the country. Our communities were already barely surviving. This move rips away the very lifelines people need to stay alive and get well.”
“These grants weren’t just about COVID—they were helping states respond to rising rates of suicide, overdose, untreated mental illness, and chronic illness, particularly in Black, brown, and low-income communities,” said Cate Graziani, Co-Director of VOCAL-TX, a part of VOCAL-US. “With no transition plan, no consultation, and no warning, the administration has sabotaged public health infrastructure and undermined efforts to prevent the very crises it claims to care about.”
VOCAL-US joins public health officials, governors, and advocates across the country in demanding that this decision be reversed immediately. We also call on Congress to investigate this abuse of power and restore funding to keep our people safe and alive.”
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