National LGBTQ youth suicide crisis line restored one year after Trump ended it

Following an effort led in large part by out lesbian Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, a national suicide hotline's specialized LGBTQ youth services have resumed after the Trump administration nixed the program last year in a widely-criticized move. In July of last year, after more than 100 Democrats in Congress wrote to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. warning him against ending the services, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) discontinued the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline's specialized services for LGBTQ youth, often known as “Press 3.” The same day it was discontinued — July 17 of 2025 — nearly 100 members of Congress reaffirmed their calls for the program to be funded. Two months after it was discontinued, members of Congress introduced legislation to protect the specialized services for LGBTQ youth, and Baldwin proposed that legislation in the Senate. In January of this year, Baldwin added language to a Department of Health and Human Services spending bill stipulating that HHS and SAMHSA must restore the funding. The services were officially restored on Sept. 30. In a written statement, Baldwin described the Trump administration's decision to scrap the specialized LGBTQ services as "a deliberate choice." "The Trump Administration chose to put children’s lives on the line to score some political points," Baldwin said. "I’ve fought tooth and nail to restore this lifesaving resource. When I realized the Trump Administration was not going to do it on their own, I wrote it into federal law to require them to restore the Press 3 option. This lifesaving resource never should have gone away in the first place, but I am glad the lifesaving support Press 3 provides is once again there for people who need it.” The Trevor Project, which previously played a role in the program, said its proposal to rejoin the services was rejected, according to The Advocate. But when asked by The Advocate whether counselors would recognize trans and non-binary youth's identities, an HHS official said the department "remains fully aligned with President Trump’s Executive Orders to defend women from gender ideology extremism and restore biological truth to the federal government." Jaymes Black, CEO of The Trevor Project, praised the restoration of the services, even as the organization was unable to regain a role in the program. "Resuming this national resource will be critical in addressing the public health crisis of suicide among LGBTQ+ young people, and supporting the estimated more than 1.8 million LGBTQ+ youth who seriously consider attempting suicide in the US each year," Black said in a written statement. "We are thankful for the large coalition of bipartisan lawmakers, mental health advocates, allies, and supporters who fought tirelessly for this restoration. We will monitor the launch and usage of these important services to ensure all LGBTQ+ youth are supported with clinically best standards." California Congressmember Mark Takano, who chairs the Congressional Equality Caucus, said it should not have taken the federal government so long to restore the services. “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," Takano said. "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.” The Trevor Project said it continues to maintain its own 24-7 crisis line for any LGBTQ young person in crisis. The Trevor Project's crisis line can be reached at thetrevorproject.org.