A $2,000,000,000 reversal.

One morning, the money is there.
By afternoon, it’s gone.
By nightfall, it’s back.

That is not stability.
That is not leadership.
That is a message.

When nearly $2 billion in federal mental health and addiction funding can be turned off and on in a single news cycle, it tells every provider, every client, and every family something quietly but clearly:

Your care is conditional.

And stigma grows wherever care feels conditional.

What happened

On January 13, 2026, the Trump administration abruptly terminated nearly $2 billion in federal grants that support mental health and addiction services through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

This is not the first time SAMHSA has faced significant cuts in grant funding. You can read about that here.

Within about 24 hours, by January 14, after bipartisan backlash and public outcry, officials confirmed the decision was being reversed and the funding would be restored.

So, the money may still be there. I’m thankful for that possibility.

But the whiplash remains.

Why this was not harmless

When those termination notices went out, organizations did not shrug and wait.

Nonprofit providers that run crisis programs, addiction treatment, youth counseling, and community mental health services began preparing for:

• Layoffs

• Program closures

• Paused services

• Disrupted care

Leaders across the field warned that losing this funding would force them to reduce or suspend treatment for people who rely on these programs to survive.

We do not yet have national data showing how many people missed therapy sessions, lost access to medication support, or fell out of care.

That data always comes later.

But in mental health, disruption itself is harm.

Continuity saves lives.
Stability supports recovery.
Trust is what makes people ask for help.

When support disappears overnight, all three are shaken.

How stigma hides inside systems

Stigma is not just what people say.
It is what institutions do.

When mental health funding is treated as something that can be casually shut off and switched back on, it sends a powerful cultural signal:

Mental illness is not urgent.
Mental health care is optional.
People can wait.

That signal reaches far beyond Washington.

It shows up when:

• Employers hesitate to accommodate mental health needs

• Schools delay support for struggling students

• Families question whether someone is “really sick enough”

• People shame themselves for needing help

Even when the money comes back, the message does not disappear.

People remember how fast it was taken away.

This is how silence grows

Mental health stigma is not only about shame.
It is about unreliability.

When support can vanish in a single day:

• People hesitate before starting treatment

• Providers think twice before expanding services

• Communities stop trusting the system

Silence grows in unstable systems.

And silence is where stigma thrives.

What you can do

1) Use precise language
Do not say “mental health funding was cut.”
Say: “Mental health and addiction grants were abruptly terminated and then reinstated.”

That accuracy matters, and it helps explain the disruptive whiplash to agencies and recipients.

2) Demand stability from legislators and the President, not just dollars
Tell your representatives, and write the White House saying you support safeguards that prevent sudden cancellation of behavioral health funding without transition plans or continuity protections.

3) Name what this really was
This was not just a budget scare.
It was a reminder of how easily mental health gets treated as expendable.

And people notice.

Mental health care cannot be a light switch.💡
On, Off, On again.

People are not policies.
And stigma grows every time we pretend they are.

Thank you all for coming along this journey.

Until next Friday morning, come back…be here.

Keith