APA Services drafted evidence-based funding recommendations in its public witness testimony submitted to the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies. The testimony highlighted data showing high levels of stress and anxiety, shortages of mental health providers, and increasing rates of youth psychological distress to underscore the need to increase funding for programs that support population health and the field of psychology. In the submitted Senate testimony, APA Services noted issues related to the statutory cap for non-defense funding that may limit program funding levels during the fiscal year 2025 appropriations cycle.
“We must reverse the accumulation of decades of neglect, stigma, and unequal treatment of mental and behavioral healthcare that has led to this crisis. However, the existing statutory cap for non-defense discretionary funding is inadequate to address these consistently growing needs, both in 2025 and beyond,” said APA Chief Advocacy Officer Katherine B. McGuire, MSc. “To meet these challenges, we ask the Subcommittee to continue its leadership in this area and support necessary programs to boost critical research funding, support the psychology workforce, improve access to mental and behavioral health services across the lifespan, and address social determinants of health.”
APA Services urged increased funding for programs within the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Health Resources and Services Administration, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Department of Education, and the Department of Labor. Investments in these programs will provide a greater understanding of the biological, psychological, and social factors needed to adopt a population health framework for responding to the current mental health crisis and building population resilience.
Read the Senate testimony (PDF, 214KB)opens in new window.
Read the House testimony (PDF, 117KB)opens in new window.
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