Press Releases

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Representatives Brittany Pettersen (CO-07), Don Beyer (VA-08), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Paul Tonko (NY-20), and Lori Trahan (MA-03) led 29 Members calling on Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to immediately cease the proposed reorganization that would dissolve the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

This plan aims to merge SAMHSA into a new entity, the Administration for a Healthy America (AHA), a move that Pettersen and other lawmakers argue is both unlawful and detrimental to the nation’s efforts in combating the opioid epidemic and addressing mental health challenges. According to reports, HHS plans to lay off approximately 10,000 employees and close several agencies, including those overseeing addiction services and community health centers, consolidating their functions under the AHA.

“My mom struggled with addiction for decades after being overprescribed opioids following a back injury,” said Pettersen. “I’ve seen firsthand how broken our system is and how hard it is for people in crisis to get the help they need. Dismantling this agency in the middle of an ongoing epidemic isn’t just reckless — it puts thousands of lives at risk. Without SAMHSA, people like my mom may never get the care they need to recover and rebuild their lives, and we will continue to lose people unnecessarily because we refused to give them the medical care they desperately need. We should be building on the progress we’ve made, not going backwards.”

In the letter, the Members share: “Functionally eliminating this centralized expertise within HHS is incompatible with both current statute and addressing the ongoing addiction and overdose crisis. Such intent and reorganization would require Congressional authorization.”

The Members continued: “Over the last several years, SAMHSA executed a strategic plan that focused on five priority areas: preventing substance use and overdose; enhancing access to suicide prevention and mental health services; promoting resilience and emotional health for children, youth, and families; integrating behavioral and physical health; and strengthening the behavioral healthcare workforce. Under these priorities, SAMHSA was able to make significant strides in addressing the mental health and substance use disorder crises…We cannot afford to turn back the clock on the progress that SAMHSA has made, and we are deeply concerned that the absorption of SAMHSA under the AHA not only likely violates the law, but also threatens to undo this progress.”

Rep. Pettersen has been a leading voice in Congress on addressing the opioid crisis and expanding access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment. Inspired by her own mother’s struggle, Pettersen has fought for legislation to prevent the import of illicit drugs, crack down on drug traffickers and their financing operations, and prevent overdose deaths by ensuring airplanes, law enforcement, and hospitals are able to distribute naloxone when necessary.

Find the full text of the letter HERE.