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Krishnamoorthi urges Trump to restore LGBTQ+ youth crisis lifeline
He also noted that the U.S. Congress had directed these services to be restored and provided funding to make it happen, yet the Administration continues to delay.
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Staff Reporter - Tue, 23, Jun 2026
- 04:53 EDT
- 43
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi / IANS
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi called on the Trump administration to restore the 988 Lifeline's LGBTQ+ youth crisis services, arguing that the program has helped more than 1.5 million young people, during a roundtable discussion on mental health, support services, and the experiences of LGBTQ+ young people, on June 22.
Led by Equality Illinois, Center on Halsted, the ACLU of Illinois, Kenneth Young Center, Brave Space Alliance, and LGBTQ+ high school and college students, the discussions centered around the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ young people, including mental health concerns, access to supportive communities, and the importance of knowing help is available during difficult moments.
Participants also discussed the role that affirming services and trusted support systems can play in helping young people navigate those challenges.
Talking about the issue, the Congressman said, "The young people we heard from today spoke candidly about the challenges they face and the importance of having support systems they can rely on."
He continued, "The Trump Administration shut down the 988 Lifeline's LGBTQ+ youth crisis services despite the fact that these services have helped more than 1.5 million LGBTQ+ young people.:
He also noted that the U.S. Congress had directed these services to be restored and provided funding to make it happen, yet the Administration continues to delay.
“As we mark Pride Month, it is a sad reality that the current leadership of the federal government is using policy and rhetoric to single out and target LGBTQ+ youth, especially trans youth,” added Edwin C. Yohnka, director of communications and public policy at the ACLU of Illinois.
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Yohnka added, “In a desperate desire to score cheap political points, the Trump Administration is pursuing policies that rob these youth of necessary health care and human dignity. It is critical that we maintain necessary resources and services for these brave young people.”
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has previously made efforts to protect crisis support services for LGBTQ+ youth by securing $33.1 million in federal funding for 2026 and introducing bipartisan legislation to preserve access to the 988 crisis hotline.
While the Trump administration recently acknowledged Congress's directive to restore these services, it said it is still determining how to implement the program in line with President Trump's executive order on transgender Americans.
President Donald Trump on January 20, 2025, had signed an order, titled "Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government," directing federal agencies to recognize sex as male or female based on biological characteristics at birth. It affects how federal programs, documents, policies, and funding address gender identity and transgender individuals.
Following the discussion, participants held a press conference calling on the Trump Administration to restore the 988 Lifeline's LGBTQ+ youth crisis services, which were discontinued in 2025.
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