Congressional Equality Caucus Celebrates Restoration of 988 Specialized Services for LGBTQI+ Youth
The National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline has reinstated specialized services for LGBTQI+ youth in crisis, effective September 30, 2026. These services, which allow LGBTQI+ youth to connect with specially trained counselors via phone, text, or online chat by pressing '3' on the 988 hotline, were initially launched in 2022 in partnership with The Trevor Project. However, they were terminated by the Trump Administration's Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) on July 17, 2025, with SAMHSA citing exhausted congressional funding. Congressional Equality Caucus Chair Rep. Mark Takano (CA-39) celebrated the return of these services but criticized the administration for the 14-month delay in their restoration, stating that the bill mandating their return became law in February 2026. Senator Tammy Baldwin, founder of the Congressional Equality Caucus, was instrumental in the efforts to resume these services.
