A Republican congressman has called out the Trump administration for cutting the 988 National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline service tailored to LGBTQ+ youth.
“This is wrong,” Representative Mike Lawler of New York wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“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. The 988 hotline has been a lifesaver. This decision should be reversed.”
Newsweek contacted Lawler and the White House for comment via emails sent outside regular business hours.
Why It Matters
The LGBTQ+ youth program has served more than 1.3 million callers since it launched in September 2022, federal data shows. Since then, callers could press 3 on the phone to be connected to a counselor specifically trained to help LGBTQ+ youth.
Studies have shown that LGBTQ+ youth are at higher risk of suicide. A report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last year found about 26 percent of transgender and gender-questioning students had attempted suicide in the past year, compared with 5 percent of cisgender male and 11 percent of cisgender female students.
The closure of the 988 service comes as President Donald Trump has targeted transgender people with executive orders since returning to office in January. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court upheld Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors.
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What To Know
The 988 hotline will stop providing tailored support options to LGBTQ+ and young adults on July 17, according to a statement on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) website. The decision preempts the Trump administration’s 2026 budget proposal to cut funding for 988’s LGBTQ+ youth and young adult services.
The Trevor Project said on Wednesday that it received official notice on Tuesday that the White House had ordered the closure of the program.
The nonprofit, which is dedicated to preventing suicide among LGBTQ+ youth, is one of seven centers that provides 988 crisis support services for LGBTQ+ people and responds to almost half who contact the lifeline.
SAMHSA’s statement said the decision was…
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