CEC Celebrates Return of 988’s Specialized Services for LGBTQI+ Youth in Crisis

CEC Chair Takano: “Thanks to the work of Congressional Equality Caucus Founder Senator Tammy Baldwin and our members, 988’s specialized services for LGBTQI+ youth in crisis have finally resumed.”

Washington, DC — On September 30th, the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline resumed the specialized services for LGBTQI+ youth in crisis, 14 months after the Trump Administration ended the services. Celebrating the return of these lifesaving services, Congressional Equality Caucus Chair Rep. Mark Takano released the following statement:

“For years, young LGBTQI+ people in crisis could turn to the 988 hotline for help from someone specially trained to meet their unique needs, but the Trump Administration made a cruel, conscious choice to cut those services last year. Now, thanks to the work of Congressional Equality Caucus Founder Senator Tammy Baldwin and our members, 988’s specialized services for LGBTQI+ youth in crisis have finally resumed,” said Rep. Mark Takano (CA-39), Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus “The bill mandating the restoration of these services became law in February—it should never have taken this long for the Administration to restore these lifesaving services. They dragged their feet however they could, even though they knew young LGBTQI+ people out there were in crisis. As we celebrate the restoration of these services, we will continue fighting to pass bipartisan legislation—led by CEC Vice Chair Krishnamoorthi, Co-Chair Davids, and Rep. Moulton in the House—to ensure this lifeline never goes dark again.” 

BACKGROUND
On July 17, 2025, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) ended the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s specialized services for LGBTQI+ youth in crisis as part of the Trump Administration’s campaign against the LGBTQI+ community. The Congressional Equality Caucus (CEC) condemned the conscious decision by the Trump Administration to rip away a lifeline from an already-vulnerable community. Two months earlier, in May of 2025, CEC member Rep. Seth Moulton (MA-06) and Vice Chair Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08) led 107 House Democrats in demanding HHS Secretary Kennedy not pursue the plan to end these services.

On July 17, 2025, CEC Vice Chair Rep. Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Co-Chair Rep. Sharice Davids (KS-03), Vice Chair Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), member Rep. Doris Matsui (CA-07), member Rep. Seth Moulton (MA-06), Co-Chair Rep. Chris Pappas (NH-01), and member Rep. Paul Tonko (NY-20) led nearly 100 Members of Congress in sending a letter to the Chair and Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, Education, and Related Agencies urging them to maintain funding for the LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services.

In September 2025, CEC Vice Chair Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), with Co-Chair Rep. Sharice Davids (KS-03) and member Rep. Seth Moulton (MA-06), introduced H.R. 5434, the 988 LGBTQ+ Youth Access Act to safeguard the lifeline’s specialized services. CEC Co-Founder Senator Tammy Baldwin (WI) led the introduction of the Senate bill.

In January 2026, Senator Tammy Baldwin included language in the bill appropriating funding for the Department of Health and Human Services that would require HHS and SAMHSA to restore the services.