GIFFORDS responds to Trump cutting $1 billion in school mental health grants

WASHINGTON — GIFFORDS, the national gun violence prevention organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, released the following statement responding to the Trump administration’s reported cancellation of $1 billion in school mental health grants. After the horrific school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act was passed with the support of 13 Republican senators, allocating funds to schools across the country. This allowed schools to hire psychologists, counselors, and mental health workers in an effort to fight America’s school shooting epidemic. Bipartisan leaders of this legislation have celebrated the achievement in recent months.

“Our president claims that America’s gun violence crisis is a mental health issue, not a gun issue—then turns around and slashes $1 billion in mental health resources for kids and schools,” said Emma Brown, Executive Director at GIFFORDS. “Republican leaders worked side by side with Democrats to allocate these funds to save lives and stop school shootings, and now the administration is trampling that progress. This decision will cost American children their lives.”

Gun violence is the number one killer of children and young people in the United States. School shootings continue to be an ever-present threat, despite the fact that these tragedies are preventable. 

This new round of needless cuts comes on the heels of $881 million in grant cancellations to violence prevention programs and other essential programs across the country. GIFFORDS is tracking this and President Trump’s other disastrous gun violence moves here.