Tracking Key Mental Health and Substance Use Policy Actions Under the Trump Administration Authors: Nirmita Panchal and Heather Saunders Published: Dec 10, 2025

https://www.kff.org/mental-health/tracking-key-mental-health-and-substance-use-policy-actions-under-the-trump-administration/?utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--yx-zt6CZCh-cW2yZ7WY6Vgrq0dWH2Iz3X5yNBp-VR8MQtMB7vDLDqZbCTW8_nC3wODXRxo8tc2jD3BqAKqYOOH7OayA&_hsmi=393879553&utm_content=393879553&utm_source=hs_email KFF Tracks Key Mental Health and Substance Use Policy Actions Under the Trump Administration A new KFF tracker lists and briefly describes key federal policy actions during President Trump’s second term that concern issues related to mental health and substance use. The second Trump administration has emphasized law-and-order strategies and scaled back several mental health and substance use-related services, while also continuing some treatment-focused initiatives. Examples include the cancellation of school-based mental health grants; proposals to reorganize Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) under a different federal agency; the signing of the HALT Fentanyl Act, legislation that expands law enforcement authority to prosecute traffickers and seize fentanyl-related substances; and the reauthorization of the SUPPORT Act, legislation that renews key substance use services. The tracker, which is not meant to be exhaustive, can be viewed in multiple ways, including chronological order of policy actions and by category (Mental Health; Opioids/Substance Use Disorder; Federal Infrastructure/ Data/Guidance; and Gun Violence). In 2024, over 61 million adults in the U.S. experienced a mental illness and deaths due to suicide, gun violence, and drug overdose remained high. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic and the public health responses to it exacerbated an already existing mental health and substance use crises. At the same time, many people experience difficulties affording mental health treatment or finding providers.