Latest news with #DepartmentofHealthandHumanServices'
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
White House proposes axing 988 suicide hotline services for LGBTQ youth
The Department of Health and Human Services' proposed budget for 2026 eliminates specialized suicide hotline services for LGBTQ youth and young adults. The budget proposal, which the department published Friday, designates $520 million for 988, the suicide prevention line, and behavioral health crisis services, which is the same amount the Biden administration provided for 988. However, the 2026 budget proposal would end government funding for LGBTQ-specific counseling to 988 callers upon request. When asked for comment, a spokesperson for HHS directed NBC News to the White House's Office of Management and Budget. Rachel Cauley, a spokesperson for OMB, noted that the proposed budget would provide the same amount for 988 services as was provided in previous years. 'It does not, however, grant taxpayer money to a chat service where children are encouraged to embrace radical gender ideology by 'counselors' without consent or knowledge of their parents,' Cauley said. 'Radical gender ideology' is a political term adopted by conservatives and President Donald Trump's administration to describe the existence of transgender people and the trans rights movement, which it considers harmful to children. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline has existed since 2005, and, in 2020, during his first term, Trump signed legislation designating 988 as the new lifeline number by 2022. That legislation required 988 to provide LGBTQ youth and young adults who call the line with access to 'specially trained staff and partner organizations,' noting that queer and trans youth 'are more than 4 times more likely to contemplate suicide than their peers, with 1 in 5 LGBTQ youth and more than 1 in 3 transgender youth reporting attempting suicide.' A senior administration official said the money for services for LGBTQ young people has not been cut, but rather reallocated to the general 988 services so that it doesn't go to 'radical grooming contractors,' using another term adopted by conservatives decades ago to falsely equate being LGBTQ or promoting LGBTQ inclusivity with sexually abusing children. The contractors who provide LGBTQ-specific services through 988 are mental health organizations based across the U.S. Most of them provide mental health care to the general population in addition to LGBTQ people. The official said only the contract with 'radical gender' counselors is being terminated, and not the resources. However, under the proposed budget, when LGBTQ youth and young adults under age 25 call 988, there will not be an option for them to be connected to a counselor who is trained to provide support to LGBTQ youth. Currently, LGBTQ young people can also text 'PRIDE' to 988 to reach a counselor with such training. The official did not respond to additional questions regarding what organization(s) 'radical grooming contractors' was referring to specifically. The Trevor Project, a national suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ youths, is among the contractors that make up a subnetwork of specialists who provide 988 services to LGBTQ young people. 'Attempts to discredit these life-saving services will not change the reality of what this administration is proposing: the elimination of a national suicide prevention program, run by seven leading crisis contact centers, that has supported over 1.3 million LGBTQ+ youth across the U.S. with best-practice crisis care,' Jaymes Black, the project's CEO, said in a statement to NBC News, referring to the number of contacts who have reached out to 988 for LGBTQ-specific support since the program's start in 2022. 'Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle — and our President — came together during the first Trump administration to create this specialized resource,' Black added. 'It's a shared acknowledgement that every young life is worth saving, and that risk, not identity, drives evidence-based and effective crisis intervention. We strongly urge the administration and Congress to rethink this proposal, and do what is best for ending the public health crisis of suicide among our nation's youth." The other six contractors who provide 988 services to LGBTQ young people are Centerstone, Volunteers of America Western Washington State, Solari Crisis & Human Services, CommUnity Crisis Services, HopeLink Behavioral Health and La Frontera EMPACT. Centerstone did not answer NBC News' question about the proposed elimination to 988's LGBTQ-specific service, and the other organizations did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In April, The Washington Post reported a leaked HHS budget draft that proposed cutting funding for 988 services for LGBTQ youth. At the time, the White House wouldn't confirm the veracity of that draft or the information about the funding. The budget proposal is the latest effort from the Trump administration to rollback services and protections for LGBTQ people, specifically transgender people. In the first few weeks of his second administration, Trump issued several executive orders targeting trans people, including declaring that there are only two unchangeable sexes; prohibiting trans people from enlisting and serving in the military; barring trans girls and women from competing on female sports teams in federally-funded K-12 schools and colleges; and barring federal funding from going to hospitals that provide transition-related care to minors. Federal officials have also scrubbed agency websites of any mention of transgender or intersex people, including from the website for the Stonewall National Monument commemorating the site of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, in which historians say trans people were crucial and became a turning point in the modern gay rights movement. At the start of June, which is LGBTQ Pride month, the Navy confirmed to NBC News that it would rename the USNS Harvey Milk, a fleet replenishment oiler named for the LGBTQ rights activist, Navy veteran and first openly gay man elected to public office in California. This article was originally published on
NBC News
10-06-2025
- Health
- NBC News
White House proposes axing 988 suicide hotline services for LGBTQ youth
The Department of Health and Human Services' proposed budget for 2026 eliminates specialized suicide hotline services for LGBTQ youth and young adults. The budget proposal, which the department published Friday, designates $520 million for 988, the suicide prevention line, and behavioral health crisis services, which is the same amount the Biden administration provided for 988. However, the 2026 budget proposal would end government funding for LGBTQ-specific counseling to 988 callers upon request. When asked for comment, a spokesperson for HHS directed NBC News to the White House's Office of Management and Budget. Rachel Cauley, a spokesperson for OMB, noted that the proposed budget would provide the same amount for 988 services as was provided in previous years. 'It does not, however, grant taxpayer money to a chat service where children are encouraged to embrace radical gender ideology by 'counselors' without consent or knowledge of their parents,' Cauley said. 'Radical gender ideology' is a political term adopted by conservatives and President Donald Trump's administration to describe the existence of transgender people and the trans rights movement, which it considers harmful to children. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline has existed since 2005, and, in 2020, during his first term, Trump signed legislation designating 988 as the new lifeline number by 2022. That legislation required 988 to provide LGBTQ youth and young adults who call the line with access to 'specially trained staff and partner organizations,' noting that queer and trans youth 'are more than 4 times more likely to contemplate suicide than their peers, with 1 in 5 LGBTQ youth and more than 1 in 3 transgender youth reporting attempting suicide.' A senior administration official said the money for services for LGBTQ young people has not been cut, but rather reallocated to the general 988 services so that it doesn't go to 'radical grooming contractors,' using another term adopted by conservatives decades ago to falsely equate being LGBTQ or promoting LGBTQ inclusivity with sexually abusing children. The contractors who provide LGBTQ-specific services through 988 are mental health organizations based across the U.S. Most of them provide mental health care to the general population in addition to LGBTQ people. The official said only the contract with 'radical gender' counselors is being terminated, and not the resources. However, under the proposed budget, when LGBTQ youth and young adults under age 25 call 988, there will not be an option for them to be connected to a counselor who is trained to provide support to LGBTQ youth. Currently, LGBTQ young people can also text 'PRIDE' to 988 to reach a counselor with such training. The official did not respond to additional questions regarding what organization(s) 'radical grooming contractors' was referring to specifically. The Trevor Project, a national suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ youths, is among the contractors that make up a subnetwork of specialists who provide 988 services to LGBTQ young people. 'Attempts to discredit these life-saving services will not change the reality of what this administration is proposing: the elimination of a national suicide prevention program, run by seven leading crisis contact centers, that has supported over 1.3 million LGBTQ+ youth across the U.S. with best-practice crisis care,' Jaymes Black, the project's CEO, said in a statement to NBC News, referring to the number of contacts who have reached out to 988 for LGBTQ-specific support since the program's start in 2022. 'Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle — and our President — came together during the first Trump administration to create this specialized resource,' Black added. 'It's a shared acknowledgement that every young life is worth saving, and that risk, not identity, drives evidence-based and effective crisis intervention. We strongly urge the administration and Congress to rethink this proposal, and do what is best for ending the public health crisis of suicide among our nation's youth. The other six contractors who provide 988 services to LGBTQ young people are Centerstone, Volunteers of America Western Washington State, Solari Crisis & Human Services, CommUnity Crisis Services, HopeLink Behavioral Health and La Frontera EMPACT. Centerstone did not answer NBC News' question about the proposed elimination to 988's LGBTQ-specific service, and the other organizations did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In April, The Washington Post reported a leaked HHS budget draft that proposed cutting funding for 988 services for LGBTQ youth. At the time, the White House wouldn't confirm the veracity of that draft or the information about the funding. The budget proposal is the latest effort from the Trump administration to rollback services and protections for LGBTQ people, specifically transgender people. In the first few weeks of his second administration, Trump issued several executive orders targeting trans people, including declaring that there are only two unchangeable sexes; prohibiting trans people from enlisting and serving in the military; barring trans girls and women from competing on female sports teams in federally-funded K-12 schools and colleges; and barring federal funding from going to hospitals that provide transition-related care to minors. Federal officials have also scrubbed agency websites of any mention of transgender or intersex people, including from the website for the Stonewall National Monument commemorating the site of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, in which historians say trans people were crucial and became a turning point in the modern gay rights movement. At the start of June, which is LGBTQ Pride month, the Navy confirmed to NBC News that it would rename the USNS Harvey Milk, a fleet replenishment oiler named for the LGBTQ rights activist, Navy veteran and first openly gay man elected to public office in California.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Disability Rights Iowa braces for potential budget cuts
DES MOINES, Iowa — Local organizations that support people with disabilities are bracing themselves for potential budget cuts in 2026. One group, Disability Rights Iowa, is taking extra steps ahead of time by asking the community to provide feedback on their services. Last month, a federal budget leak said the Department of Health and Human Services' 2026 discretionary budget would be cut by about 1/3. That's a $40 million cut, which would affect many programs for those with disabilities, including here in Iowa. Some organizations would lose several grants and funding, like Disability Rights Iowa, which provides legal protection and advocacy. And now, they are sending out an 'areas of focus' survey to the community to get a gage on the most important services they provide. This is information that would be helpful to have if these budget cuts go through. 'It's particularly important that we receive word back from our community because both of these potential cuts to our programs, which would change our ability to provide services and support,' DRI Executive Director Catherine Johnson said. 'If that happens, we want to make sure we're providing the most vital support and services for Iowans with disabilities.' 120 years of scripts, scoops, and soda at the pharmacy in Colfax Those who have worked with DRI are vouching for the organization, like Brianna Schaffer who has a 10-year-old son, Parker, who has autism and needed some advocacy at school. 'DRI offered him just that normalcy to see that the one less thing that he had to worry about, or we have to worry about and ensuring that he was accommodated just as anybody else,' she said. 'He got the same education and the same services that any other child should receive. I mean, they keep things fair in a way and just make people accountable for what's right.' Schaffer reached out to the attorneys at DRI and they helped her immediately. 'They did far more in an email and a meeting than we were able to get done in years of working with the district. Really, it was thanks to the DRI.' In the last fiscal year, DRI had over 2,000 Iowans contact them for help and gave them free assistance. 'The cuts would be devastating to our community. The potential budget cuts that we're aware of would be approximately 40% of our budget,' Johnson said. 'We have a very active team of passionate people that are really dedicated to Iowa's disability community and dedicated to creating change in Iowa for, on behalf of Iowans with disabilities. So, we're still doing the work. We're moving forward. But it is scary because we don't know what's going to happen.' Johnson added since these budget cuts aren't official yet, they've been contacting their congress people to try to stop it from happening. If you'd like more info or to find the survey, go to Iowa News: Greenfield marks 1 year anniversary of deadly EF 4 tornado Disability Rights Iowa braces for potential budget cuts Man, officers shot in exchange of gunfire in eastern Iowa WHO 13 Farm Report: Wednesday, May 21st Colfax-Mingo girls' soccer team enters postseason play in inaugural season Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why Moderna, Inc. (MRNA) Surged Today
We recently published a list of . In this article, we are going to take a look at where Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA)stands against other stocks that stole the show today. Ten mid-cap companies from diverse sectors stood out on Monday, outperforming the lackluster performance of major indices, thanks to a flurry of corporate developments that sparked investor appetite. While the firms boasted between 5 and 14 percent gains, the Dow Jones rose by only 0.32 percent, while the S&P 500 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq each inched up by 0.09 percent and 0.02 percent, respectively. In this article, we list the names of the top-performing stocks and detail the reasons behind their gains. To come up with the list, we considered only the stocks with a $2 billion market capitalization and $5 million in trading volume. A scientist surrounded by vials and beakers in a modern laboratory, proudly displaying a vaccine. Moderna Inc. grew its share prices by 6.15 percent on Monday to finish at $26.39 apiece as investor sentiment was buoyed by the Department of Health and Human Services' pledge not to upend the US vaccine system. Additionally, investors are in a wait-and-see mode for a planned 'massive framework' for the US vaccine industry. Details have yet to be publicized, but the plan is being overseen by the Food and Drug Administration. Investors were hopeful that any initiative could benefit both end-consumers and vaccine makers such as Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA), which found success with its own COVID-19 shots. In the first quarter of the year, Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) widened its net loss by 17.4 percent to $971 million from $1.17 billion in the same period last year. Revenues declined by 35 percent to $108 million from $167 million in the same period last year due to lower vaccination rates, coupled with the continued normalization of COVID into a seasonal commercial market. Looking ahead, Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) is targeting to book revenues between $1.5 billion and $2.5 billion. Overall, MRNA ranks 8th on our list of stocks that stole the show today. While we acknowledge the potential of MRNA as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that has gone up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks have lost around 25%. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than MRNA but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about this . READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why Moderna, Inc. (MRNA) Surged Today
We recently published a list of . In this article, we are going to take a look at where Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA)stands against other stocks that stole the show today. Ten mid-cap companies from diverse sectors stood out on Monday, outperforming the lackluster performance of major indices, thanks to a flurry of corporate developments that sparked investor appetite. While the firms boasted between 5 and 14 percent gains, the Dow Jones rose by only 0.32 percent, while the S&P 500 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq each inched up by 0.09 percent and 0.02 percent, respectively. In this article, we list the names of the top-performing stocks and detail the reasons behind their gains. To come up with the list, we considered only the stocks with a $2 billion market capitalization and $5 million in trading volume. A scientist surrounded by vials and beakers in a modern laboratory, proudly displaying a vaccine. Moderna Inc. grew its share prices by 6.15 percent on Monday to finish at $26.39 apiece as investor sentiment was buoyed by the Department of Health and Human Services' pledge not to upend the US vaccine system. Additionally, investors are in a wait-and-see mode for a planned 'massive framework' for the US vaccine industry. Details have yet to be publicized, but the plan is being overseen by the Food and Drug Administration. Investors were hopeful that any initiative could benefit both end-consumers and vaccine makers such as Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA), which found success with its own COVID-19 shots. In the first quarter of the year, Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) widened its net loss by 17.4 percent to $971 million from $1.17 billion in the same period last year. Revenues declined by 35 percent to $108 million from $167 million in the same period last year due to lower vaccination rates, coupled with the continued normalization of COVID into a seasonal commercial market. Looking ahead, Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) is targeting to book revenues between $1.5 billion and $2.5 billion. Overall, MRNA ranks 8th on our list of stocks that stole the show today. While we acknowledge the potential of MRNA as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that has gone up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks have lost around 25%. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than MRNA but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about this . READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
