Sixty million Americans who rely on behavioral health services woke up Wednesday to learn the Trump administration had abruptly canceled about $2 billion in federal mental health and addiction grants, cutting off funding for programs across the country.
The White House said the grants no longer aligned with federal priorities.
Within 24 hours, federal officials reversed the decision after bipartisan backlash in Washington. But the whiplash it created for providers and families, created widespread uncertainty, leaving mental health services and the people who rely on them shaken.
In Central New York, local nonprofits like Access CNY, which provides services for people with disabilities and mental health diagnoses, scrambled to learn how it will cope with the sudden loss of roughly $2 million for its Systems of Care program. Established more than a decade ago to help children and adults with mental health challenges and developmental disabilities receive immediate care, so that they can stabilize and begin recovery.
“For the first time, many of these families saw a ray of hope for their children that they previously didn’t have,” Matthew Seubert, Access’ communications director said. “And that hope was extinguished with the federal funding of the program just being canceled without warning. In one swipe of a pen, that hope that many of these families had established was gone.”
Access CNY has served the region for more than 70 years. In 2024, it partnered with Onondaga County to launch Systems of Care to reduce barriers that often delay treatment. Families could access services immediately, without waiting months or even years for evaluations or formal diagnoses.
A study published by the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry has shown that children who receive early intervention services experienced a 50% reduction in behavioral problems by comparison to their peers who did not. services. Behavioral health studies have found early intervention is key to helping children manage mental health challenges and developmental disabilities.
Threatening to pull vital mental health support might save a dollar in the short term, but it is short sighted.
“We’re creating a system where these children will end up needing a higher level of care,” Seubert warned. “These children who are struggling with their mental health will end up in a hospital, will end up in inpatient settings, which will cost all of us more money in the long run.”
Even with funding now restored, Seubert said families who rely on Systems of Care are left uncertain, facing longer waits and more bureaucracy as providers work to stabilize programs after the abrupt disruption.
