1. United States
2. Kan.
3. Letter

Dear President Trump and all Members of the U.S. Congress, On June 17, SAMHSA announced that they are initiating the closure of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline's LGBTQ+ youth Lifeline within 30 days, effective July 17, 2025. This follows the administration's proposed budget eliminated all federal federal funding for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services – a program that provides emergency crisis support to LGBTQ+ youth considering suicide – effective October 1, 2025. We, the undersigned individuals from all across the United States, urge the President and Congress to to keep the LGBTQ+ youth lifeline operating and pass a budget for Fiscal Year 2026 that protects this life-saving funding for young people going forward. Since its launch in 2022, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services have connected nearly 1.3 million crisis contacts with life-saving, LGBTQ+-inclusive crisis services. By design, this bipartisan program has offered best-practice specialized services to support the unique needs of highest risk populations, including veterans and LGBTQ+ youth. The trained counselors provide 24/7 support to reduce the likelihood of suicide and other self-harm, not medical guidance or referrals - just professional support for LGBTQ+ youth when they need it the most. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people aged 10 to 14, and the third leading cause of death among 15-24 year olds. LGBTQ+ young people are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide than their peers. The Trevor Project estimates that more than 1.8 million LGBTQ+ young people in the United States seriously consider suicide each year, and at least one attempts suicide every 45 seconds. In Fiscal Year 2025, Congress directed at least $34.1M to support the lifesaving work administered through The 988 Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services. It is critical that the federal budget for Fiscal Year 2026 maintain funding for these services and SAMHSA maintains the subnetwork's operation to ensure at-risk youth receive the support they need, and to end the national public health crisis of suicide among young people, once and for all.