President Trump, Secretary McMahon Celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month by Slashing $1 Billion in Mental Health Services for Students
Ranking Member DeLauro Created the School Based Mental Health Service Grants Program to Increase the Number of Mental Health Professionals Available at Schools
WASHINGTON — House Appropriations Committee and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) issued the following statement in response to Education Secretary Linda McMahon’s cancellation of $1 billion in school-based mental health and mental health services professional development grants:
“Tomorrow, May 1, marks the start of Mental Health Awareness Month, and Secretary McMahon is apparently celebrating by canceling $1 billion in awards that fund school psychologists, social workers, and counselors across the nation. Students across the country who are experiencing trauma, anxiety, and stress will be left without the professional support they need.
“In 2019, my first year as Chair of the subcommittee that determines funding levels for the Department of Education, and after countless conversations with Connecticut parents, educators, and district leaders, I created the School Based Mental Health Service Grants Program to increase the number of mental health professionals available in schools. The program was bolstered under the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act with a $500 million investment over five years to expand the program’s reach.
“Far too many students in this country have little to no access to mental health services. The answer to this problem is not to take away this funding. By canceling these grants, Secretary McMahon is taking a wrecking ball to several years of bipartisan funding agreements and leaving millions of students without the mental health support they need at school.”
Ranking Member DeLauro is also the leader of the bipartisan Expanding Access to Mental Health Services in Schools Act, legislation that would address the urgent need for mental health professionals in schools.
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