Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) said Wednesday that the Trump administration’s decision to cut the LGBTQ youth suicide hotline is “wrong.”
“This is wrong. According to studies, LGBTQ+ young people have an elevated risk of suicide and are more likely than their peers to attempt it. We should ensure they have the resources necessary to get help,” Lawler said in a post on social platform X.
“The 988 hotline has been a lifesaver. This decision should be reversed,” he added.
The Trump administration recently ordered a crisis service for LGBTQ youth to close within 30 days in an action that opponents have said will result in dire consequences.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) said Tuesday that 988, the national suicide and crisis lifeline, is going to “no longer silo” LGBTQ youth services, also known as the “Press 3 option” starting July 17.
The agency made the announcement during Pride Month, a time when LGBTQ people celebrate their identities.
In the announcement, the agency said the “Press 3 option,” which started in 2022 during former President Biden’s term, had provided specialized services to “LGB+ youth,” taking “transgender” out of the acronym in line with an earlier executive order stating that the U.S recognizes male and female as the only two sexes.
In May, Lawler and California Rep. Young Kim (R) wrote a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stating “concern regarding reports that the Department of Health and Human Services budget request for fiscal year 2026 would eliminate the Specialized Services for LGBTQ+ youth within the 988 Suicide Prevention and Crisis Lifeline.”
“We firmly believe in parents’ rights, and think they must play a significant role in this process, but we cannot leave our children without critical mental health care,” Young and Lawler said in the letter.
The Hill has reached out to the SAMHSA and the Department of Health and Human services for comment.
