Why It Matters
A recent Government Accountability Office report, published Aug. 13, reveals a paradox at the heart of America's mental health and substance abuse support infrastructure; as federal agencies reduced their staffing during 2025, the nation's crisis hotlines managed to handle surging demand without visible service degradation.
In February 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order, aimed at reducing the size of the federal workforce. GAO obtained and reviewed available fiscal year 2025 data from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and Veterans Affairs (VA) to see the affects.
The Big Picture
Contact volume for the three hotlines generally increased throughout fiscal year 2025, according to the report. This surge occurred precisely as the agencies operating them were trimmed down.
The GAO reviewed available fiscal year 2025 data and compared it to similar data from previous GAO reports to track trends. This increase in contacts happened in real time as the agencies responsible for the three hotlines experienced some reductions of staff who oversee or operate the hotlines during fiscal year 2025.
While HHS and VA reduced their staff, the hotlines' operations and services remained mostly consistent, with an increase in chats, texts, and calls. Selected stakeholders representing users of all three hotlines reported experiencing consistent services during fiscal year 2025.
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