As a social worker, and someone who for 12 years only worked with individuals on Medical Assistance (MA), the issue of federal funding cuts for social health programs INFURIATES me. From mental health services in schools to addiction recovery and public health initiatives, these resources are lifelines for so many people. I feel lucky that most people I interact with daily are also extremely bothered by this [yay for people who support basic needs for humans!]. That being said, it can be EXTREMELY exhausting to constantly focus on why people should care about other people.

What’s Happening With Federal Funding?

Recently, the federal government pulled back more than $220 million in public health funding for Minnesota, and it happened with almost no warning. The Minnesota Department of Human Services lost $27.5 million in grants that support things like behavioral health, substance abuse treatment (SUD), and mental health services in schools. The fallout has been immediate: layoffs for over 170 public health workers and rescinded job offers for nearly 20 more. Services are already being scaled back, from vaccine clinics to disease tracking and infection prevention in nursing homes.

In full transparency- I agree with some of the funding changes. If you keep up with the SUD community you are well aware of the fraud and greed that occurs in companies that take advantage of MN’s stance on providing help to those who need it most. This also applies to some Autism service providers as well.

Any time there are large amounts of money up for grabs, greedy people can ruin things. [Politicians enter the room now]. THEN the focus is switched to a specific style of victim blaming, i.e. ‘there is so much corruption’ which could be true, yet the percentage of fraud and corruption of social service programs is actually quite low. Maybe even as low as the actual percentage of voter fraud.

Why This Matters:

1. The People We Serve Are Directly Affected
Most of the programs I refer clients to-especially those focused on mental health, addiction, and crisis intervention-depend on federal grants. When those funds disappear, so do the services. It’s heartbreaking to see vulnerable people, especially kids and those struggling with addiction or homelessness, left with nowhere to turn.

2. Our Workload Gets Heavier
The needs in our community don’t shrink just because the funding does. If anything, they grow. With fewer resources and more people needing help, social service providers end up stretched thin. It’s tough to keep up, and burnout becomes a real risk.

3. We Lose Innovative and Preventive Programs
A lot of the grants support prevention and early intervention-the kind of work that can stop problems before they spiral. When those programs get cut, we’re left putting out fires instead of preventing them. As someone who attended school and learned basic math, it’s INFURIATING that people who are running businesses can’t seem to grasp that putting bandaids on broken bones actually costs more in the long run.

4. Everything Feels Uncertain
These cuts happened so quickly, with no time to prepare. It’s left a lot of people scrambling to figure out how to help clients and keep programs afloat. The instability is stressful for everyone-providers and clients alike.

What I’m Doing (and What You Can Do, Too)

• Staying Informed: I’m keeping an eye on updates from the state, especially Minnesota’s new federal funding dashboard, to see which programs are affected.
• Advocating: I’m reaching out to lawmakers and working with my professional network to make sure they know what these cuts mean for real people.
• Grounding: Now more than ever, we must avoid the temptation to speed up and get bigger. I have compared this to the people who do marathons daily for a year. We have to get granular regarding our energy. We can’t implement resistance or fight sustainably unless we focus on regulating our energy minute by minute. This means less news, social media, listening to things that aren’t fact checked- and instead focusing on the basics: eating, sleeping, water, socializing, deep breaths, and nature.

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Federal funding cuts might sound like just a policy issue, but as I’ve been saying for a while now Politics aren’t about politics, they’re about human rights. They shape ALL OF OUR LIVES. That’s why I’m paying attention, and why I hope you will, too.