More than 100 members of congress urge RFK Jr not to close LGBTQ+ suicide helpline

Warning: This article contains themes of suicide and mental-health distress for LGBTQ+ youngsters, including statistics and details. Reader discretion is advised.

US secretary of health Robert F Kennedy Jr has been urged to stop the “lethal” closure of an LGBTQ+ youth suicide lifeline.

President Donald Trump has threatened to close the “life-saving” 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, in leaked budget proposals seen by PinkNews.

The specialised service provides emergency support for distressed LGBTQ+ youngsters under the age of 18, by connecting them to suicide-prevention organisations. It is currently funded by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Leaks of the draft budget suggest that the vital service could be closed by October if the Trump administration’s plans go ahead.

Now, more than 100 members of congress members have pleaded with RFK Jr to reconsider the closure, saying that it would “devastate” a community that statistically includes “some of our nation’s most vulnerable young people”.

In a letter, the politicians said: “When congress established the 988 lifeline, signed into law by President Trump during his first term, we intended it to be a resource for any American experiencing mental distress. To a young person feeling alone and scared, 988 is truly a lifeline.”

The letter, signed by US representatives including Jasmine Crockett, Seth Moulton and Robert Garcia, called the proposed closure “short-sighted” and “dangerous,” adding that it would have “lethal consequences” for young people experiencing mental-health distress.

“Surely, you can agree that every American deserves the resources necessary to prevent suicide and self-injury, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity,” the signatories wrote.

White House says ‘chat service’ encourages children to embrace ‘radical gender ideology’

Demand for the lifeline, which began operating in 2022, has grown over the past few years, with calls to the service rising from 1,752 in September of that year to 58,924 in February 2025.

Calls, texts and messages to the lifeline reached their peak in January – the same month as Donald Trump’s inauguration – when 60,711 callers were directed onward.

Jaymes Black, the chief executive of The Trevor Project, one of the groups to which callers are directed, told PinkNews that mental-health services such as 988 should not be political.

“I applaud these lawmakers for their vocal support of these evidence-backed, bipartisan crisis services that have already supported an estimated 1.3 million LGBTQ+ youth and counting,” he said.

A similar letter was published earlier this month by a group of senators, urging the health secretary and president to reconsider the closure, calling the plan reckless.

Speaking alongside fellow Democrats, Tammy Baldwin, the first out gay US senator, said the “irresponsible” proposals flew in the face of the administration’s commitment to “addressing youth mental health”.

The signatories also criticised the Department of Health’s silence on how or whether “it plans to use funds for specialised services or the 988 Suicide Lifeline in general.”

Responding, in a statement to Axios, a spokesperson for the Office of Management and Budget said the administration refused to “grant taxpayer money to a chat service where children are encouraged to embrace radical gender ideology by ‘counsellors’, without consent or knowledge of their parents.”

They claimed that Trump’s budget “funds the 988 at $520 million (£390 million), the same [amount] as under [previous president, Joe Biden]”.

Suicide is preventable. Readers who are affected by the issues raised in this story are encouraged to contact the Samaritans on 116 123 (www.samaritans.org), or Mind on 0300 123 3393 (www.mind.org.uk). ​Readers in the US are encouraged to contact the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255.

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