House Republicans are calling for a government watchdog to investigate the management of unspent mental health funding by the federal government. This includes an examination of the handling of COVID-19 emergency funds as well as the allocation of funds for the launch of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on Tuesday, expressing concerns about the spending of COVID-19 supplemental funding by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). According to the letter, SAMHSA received approximately $8 billion in funding, but only about half of it has been utilized by grantees so far.
Furthermore, the grantees utilized only approximately $350 million out of the allocated amount of nearly $1 billion to initiate the 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in 2022.
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