Following the 2024 election, APA Services Advocacy will step up its focus on protecting access to psychological services and funding for psychological science and key psychology programs.
The second Trump administration will find itself with a more supportive 119th Congress in 2025 with the Republican Party taking control of the House and Senate.
A key priority will be renewing the 2017 tax cuts that are set to expire at the end of 2025. Paying for the cuts will likely lead to deep reductions in discretionary spending, including cuts to research, education, and health programs. While this poses significant challenges, APA Services and its members will continue to find ways to build new champions for psychology to advance the practice and science of psychology and to advance its advocacy priorities. These priorities, grounded in psychological science, include expanding access to psychological services, integrated health care, and programs that promote health equity and human rights, address population health, and protect investments in the psychology workforce, research, and education.
“With a new administration and Congressional leadership, APA and APA Services will continue to work with policymakers across the political spectrum to support the work of psychologists across the country, to expand access to evidence-based behavioral health care and protect advancements in cutting edge research to address our nation’s greatest challenges,” said Katherine McGuire, APA’s chief advocacy officer.
Most relevant to psychology, and the source of great uncertainty, is the impact on discretionary funding for federal agencies in fiscal year 2025. These agencies include the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Education, and the Health Resources and Services Administration. APA Services is focused on securing the highest level of funding for critical science, education, substance use disorder, maternal mental health, and psychology workforce programs, among others. Current federal funding expires on December 20, 2024. Congress is set to return to Washington for 2 weeks before the Thanksgiving recess, when it could decide to pass a larger funding package, or it could approve another short-term continuing funding resolution until March.
In addition to advocating for funding, APA Services has worked with Congressional champions on drafting several essential pieces of legislation that may be included in an end-of-year package. These key provisions would reduce cuts for Medicare reimbursement rates, extend the ability of psychologists and other health providers to provide services via telehealth, and address social media’s impacts on children in the Kids Online Safety Act, which passed the Senate earlier this year.
State level legislative activity is also expected to increase, particularly in states where Republicans or Democrats control the state legislatures and Governors’ offices. In addition to policies already in place, states are considering a range of new policies to either restrict or protect access to health care for LGBTQ+ populations, reproductive health, and DEI programs in education. State legislatures are also in the process of reinforcing stricter standards for environmental sustainability as the new administration plans to roll back investments in clean energy and other Biden administration policies. With some voters approving local law enforcement’s ability to enforce immigration laws, there are concerns that civil rights violations will see an upswing as well.
APA will continue to strengthen its support for psychologists and state psychological associations working to protect the practice of psychology and provide policy expertise and resources to engage on these and other issues.
Psychologists can take actionopens in new window now. Ask your Representative to support H.R. 10073, the Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act—to provide a small increase in Medicare payment rates in 2025, rather than the 2.8% cut currently scheduled to take effect. Psychologists can also sign up to receive updates and future calls to action on these and other research and funding issues.