Senators warn school mental health services were disrupted after department stopped multi‑year grants

Several senators told Secretary McMahon the department’s decision to discontinue roughly $1 billion in multiyear school‑based mental health grants is already disrupting services and will harm students who depend on counselors and mental‑health professionals in schools.

Ranking Member Senator Baldwin said those grants included bipartisan funds awarded in response to the Uvalde school shooting and described more than 200 active grants across nearly 40 states that were being used to increase counselors and mental‑health professionals in schools. Baldwin said the department “decided to not continue $1,000,000,000 in multi‑year grants that were improving access to mental health care in schools.” Senator Murphy said his state had been notified that an existing program serving students in crisis would lose its federally funded counselor, and asked whether the secretary had weighed the impact of stopping grants mid‑program. The secretary replied that the department was not “eliminating” mental health funding but would allow states to rebid the grants and evaluate programs.

Senator Murphy described local consequences: school districts that had built programs and hired staff based on multi‑year awards now face uncertainty about whether counselors will remain in place next school year. “When those kids show up to school next fall, that trusted adult will not be there,” Murphy said. McMahon responded that the department is evaluating grants and intends to rebid funding and work with governors and local officials on how funds are best used.

Senators requested case‑level follow up. McMahon said she would look into specific denial or noncontinuation letters and provide more information to members who raised examples. The committee did not take any formal action; members left the record open for written questions.