Tribal programs addressing mental health and substance abuse in Oklahoma lost federal funding overnight Tuesday. Roughly 24 hours later, the Trump administration moved to reinstate that support without additional explanation. But tribal leaders say they are still reeling from "political whiplash."
Late Tuesday night, Wichita and Affiliated Tribes officials received notice that its grants from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) were terminated, effective immediately.
Tasha Mousseau, the Vice President of the tribal nation, said the tribe was awarded more than $3.5 million in grant funding, but a remaining $459,000 to address mental health and addiction would be revoked.
The funding terminations impacted four grants: Zero Suicide Initiative, Mental Health Awareness Training, HIV Prevention and Care in Native Communities and the Garrett Lee Smith Youth Suicide Prevention grant.
As a result, Mousseau said 13 employees were told they would lose their jobs. The tribal nation's health administrator told employees they would try to "carry them through the end of the week."
Thursday morning, Wichita and Affiliated Tribes officials received an email from SAMHSA saying the grant termination letters were rescinded.
"Your award will remain active under its original terms and conditions," the message reads. "Please disregard the prior termination notice and continue program activities as outlined in your award agreement."
The clawback of the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes' grants were part of sweeping cuts worth more than $2 billion announced and reversed in a matter of days by the federal government. NPR reports about 2,000 organizations were affected, including several tribal nations across Oklahoma.
It remains unclear why funding was initially stripped or why it was restored. The Wichita and Affiliated Tribes have not received an explanation for either change.
This reversal comes after health care leaders, including Mousseau, sounded the alarm about how cuts could impact people across the country. Her tribal nation, headquartered in Anadarko, has a history of youth dealing with suicidal ideations and self-harm. The funding they stood to lose is for grants to help combat this crisis.
"This may be a one small line item to the federal government, but this is a lifeline for tribal citizens and tribal communities," Mousseau said.
Healthy Minds Policy Initiative has reported that "since fiscal year 2019, the 38 federally recognized Native American nations and tribes in Oklahoma have received nearly $74 million from SAMHSA." At least half of the federal grants active in Oklahoma in 2025 supported services for children, rural communities and tribes.
Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. recently announced his tribe's growing efforts to address drug addiction. Those efforts include continued construction of an inpatient facility for substance misuse disorder and adding to an outpatient facility in Tahlequah.
The tribe in northeast Oklahoma would have lost $4 million in federal funds supporting this cause if the terminations had gone through.
"As much as we appreciate the quick restoration of funds, the drama and disruption associated with announcements of cuts is unhelpful to a cause which requires the full attention of all Americans," Hoskin Jr. said in a statement. "Cherokee Nation urges federal leaders to engage with stakeholders, including tribal nations, about improving the federal response to the behavioral health and substance use disorder challenges that impacts all of us."
Tribal leaders said dramatic funding changes require consultation and collaboration with the communities who stand to suffer the impacts of losing mental health services.
While many tribes rely on the agency's grants, not all are affected equally.
Spokespeople from the Citizen Potawatomi Nation and Muscogee Nation said impacts to their operations were more minimal. The tribes don't rely as heavily on federal grants for mental health and substance abuse programs.
But for tribes with larger SAMHSA grants at stake, Wednesday's funding limbo took its toll.
"Yesterday was a week," Mousseau said Thursday. "It was a week within one day … we can't take a breath."
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
