NE Washington News

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, along with Subcommittee on Health Chair Brett Guthrie, and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith, have sent a letter to U.S. Government Accountability Office Comptroller General Gene Dodaro requesting an audit. The audit aims to examine how the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has handled approximately $8 billion in COVID-19 supplemental funding and nearly $1 billion in new funds for the 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Program.

The Chairs expressed their concerns about the utilization of the allocated funds, stating, "SAMHSA’s response also shows that the states and other grantees had used less than half of these obligated amounts by that date. In light of this, we have concerns about the nature and pace of using these funds, as well as SAMHSA’s ability to administer and oversee this additional funding."

The letter outlines several key questions that the audit should address, including the extent to which states and grantees have used the allocated funding, the data collection process on fund usage, factors affecting the utilization of funds, plans for remaining funds, and the impact of the additional funding on SAMHSA's administration and oversight.

SAMHSA had received a significant influx of funds totaling over $7.8 billion through COVID-19 supplemental funding on top of its annual budget authority. However, despite obligations of $8.2 billion in COVID-19 supplemental funding and over $850 million for the 9-8-8 Program, states and grantees have only spent about half of the COVID-19 funds and a fraction of the 9-8-8 Program funds.

The Chairs' request for the audit is aimed at ensuring accountability and transparency in the utilization of mental health funding and the 9-8-8 Program. This move follows previous inquiries by the Committee and SAMHSA's release of data indicating underutilization of the allocated funds.

For further details and the full content of the letter, interested parties can refer to the official communication from the Energy and Commerce Committee.