Sign for the 988 Lifeline mental health emergency hotline, Walnut Creek, California, December 20, 2024. The Trump administration has laid off more than 100 employees at the agency responsible for overseeing the number. Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images
In a surprising turn of events, the Trump administration has initiated significant layoffs at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), leaving more than 100 employees without jobs. These layoffs are said to be a part of a broader government-wide effort to reduce workforce numbers.
Sources from within SAMHSA, speaking on the condition of anonymity, disclosed that employees were informed of the “Reduction in Force” late Friday evening. The sudden nature of these layoffs has left many within the agency in shock and confusion, with one source stating, “I think the general feeling today is shock — and not understanding why?”
The layoffs are estimated to have affected around 125 employees, reducing SAMHSA’s workforce by nearly half since the current administration took office. Initially, SAMHSA employed approximately 900 people, but a significant number of positions were cut in the spring, further exacerbating the situation with this latest round of firings.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which oversees SAMHSA, confirmed the layoffs. Andrew Nixon, the department’s director of communications, attributed the cuts to the “Democrat-led government shutdown,” as stated in an email sent to NPR.
SAMHSA plays a crucial role in managing the 988 suicide prevention hotline and distributing billions in grants for mental health and addiction services. Established in 1992, SAMHSA’s annual budget was approximately $7.5 billion in 2024, primarily directed to state-level mental health and addiction programs.
Despite its importance, SAMHSA has faced criticism from the current administration. President Trump had previously suggested cutting its budget under his Big Beautiful Bill, and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. intends to integrate its functions into a new program named the Administration for a Healthy America.
CDC Faces Uncertainty Amidst Ongoing Layoffs
A sign marks the entrance to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Atlanta. Several key parts of the agency are losing employees. Brynn Anderson/AP
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also experienced layoffs on Friday evening. Two affected employees reported job losses within the agency, but the situation appeared to change by late Saturday. NPR obtained a letter indicating a reversal of one employee’s firing, signed by Tom Nagy, the Chief Human Capital Officer at HHS. It remains unclear how many CDC employees received similar letters.
Prior to the reversals, a laid-off CDC official expressed concern over the cuts, which impacted divisions involved in disease surveillance, outbreak forecasting, chronic diseases, and immunization. The official stated, “If you wanted to weaken America’s public health capacity without saying it outright, this is how you’d do it — remove the people who connect the dots, steady the ship, and keep the public informed.”
The New York Times reported extensive cuts at the CDC, including the removal of senior officials managing the agency’s measles response team. The statement from HHS’s Nixon did not specifically address the CDC layoffs or the reversals but indicated that further cuts might occur. “HHS continues to close wasteful and duplicative entities, including those that are at odds with the Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again agenda,” the statement read.
