Classrooms or Clinics? 16 States vs. DOE in a $1 Billion Lawsuit on Top of $75 Billion in Mental Health Spending
Republished with permission from AbleChild.
The Department of Education (DOE) under President Trump decided that $1 billion in Biden-era federal grants to schools for increased mental health services conflicted with the President’s budgetary priorities and pulled the funding. Sixteen states took offense to losing the extra cash and filed a lawsuit to get the mental health money back. The question is why states are whining about $1 billion in mental health grants when so many are swimming in mental health money already budgeted through mandatory federal programs.
How much money will the taxpayers be on the hook for mental health services? Seriously, when will mental health funding be enough? The fact is the extra $1 billion in mental health funding the states are fighting over is separate from the $58 billion in mental health funding appropriated through Medicaid, which also includes another $17 billion of substance abuse care.
That’s 75 billion real federal tax dollars already being spent on mental health services in states. Taxpayers, through Medicaid, provide more than $8 billion annually for direct school-based mental health services, screenings and therapies. And children with mental health conditions account for 55% of all Medicaid spending for children aged 3-17. In other words, not only are taxpayers on the hook for mental health services covered by mandatory Medicaid funding but they also dish out $8 billion for direct school mental health interventions. Why? Why are schools becoming mental health detection and intervention clinics?
Increased funding for mental health seems to be a never-ending, ever-increasing burden that taxpayers are forced to pay even though nobody is getting better. Look at the facts, every year the number of people being diagnosed with a mental illness increases as does the number on psychiatric drugs prescribed as “treatment.” Currently one in five American adults is being treated for at least one mental disorder. The same is true for one in five US children aged 3-17 (twenty million) have also been diagnosed with a mental disorder.
And the kicker is that the mental health industry cannot prove that any mental disorder is an objective confirmable abnormality in the brain. That’s right. No abnormality that is being “treated.” Mental disorders are based on lists of alleged abnormal behaviors voted into existence by the very industry that gets paid to “treat” them. Most people would call that a conflict of a very dubious nature. And, further, the pharmaceutical companies who produce the drugs used as “treatment” for the made-up mental disorders haven’t got a clue how the drugs “work” in the brain as “treatment.”
Regardless, the most recent data shows that in 2019, for example, nearly 44 million American adults – a little more than 17 percent of the adult population – reported expenditures for the treatment of mental disorders, medical spending to treat adults with mental disorders totaled more than $106 billion and the number of females with expenses for mental health treatment was almost double that of men. Go figure, there’s no abnormality that can be identified but everyone has a mental disorder that has to be “treated.”
And given that there is no proof of an abnormality, the real problem is that the federal government, through taxpayer funds, is complicit in this mental health fraud by financially supporting the “treatment” of mental disorders that cannot be proven as an abnormality. Does the federal government pay, through Medicaid and Medicare, for cancer treatments that the doctor cannot prove the disease exists? Imagine how that would work for a moment. Can’t prove the disease (cancer) is in the body but we’ll pay to treat it. Clearly, it’s ridiculous.
But now let’s consider the states that are doing a lot of the whining about not getting their portion of that extra $1 billion mental health funding. Washington, along with Illinois, and New York are all complainants in the $1 billion dollar lawsuit against the DOE. All three of these states claim sanctuary status – obstructing immigration enforcement – and spend tens of millions of dollars on medical care (including mental health) for low-income migrants. Nearly $175 million in Washington, more than $1 billion in Illinois and more than $2 billion in New York is spent on illegal immigrant health care services.
These states, that clearly obstruct federal law in their protection of illegal aliens, have the unmitigated gall to sue the DOE for additional mental heath funding. But it gets worse. These same states have no problem suing the federal government for additional mental health funding for schools that simply are a failure when it comes to educating its population.
For example, in Illinois, and specifically Chicago, enrollment in school has dropped by approximately 10% (200,000) students, more than 70 schools have been closed due to declining enrollment and one in five students is chronically absent from school. And as of 2024-2025 275 Chicago Public Schools were considered underutilized (below 70% of the school’s ideal capacity).
And one “school,” Frederick Douglass Academy High School, enrolled just 27 students with 28 full-time staff. That’s right. More staff than students. In 2024, operational spending at Douglass exceeded $93,000 per student but still not a single 11th grade student was proficient in math or reading. More than 65% of Douglas’s students are chronically absent and fewer than one dozen is reported to show up with any regularity.
But don’t fret. By anyone’s measure, this completely useless High School has at least two mental health staff members and three support staff, including a Restorative Justice Coordinator (whatever that is), Case Manager and a college and career coach. How many other schools in the Chicago area and other states that are just as useless will be sucking on the federal mental health teat?
The very liberal 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of the states, stating that “the department failed to make a strong showing that it engaged in the reasoned decision-making required.” The Court of Appeals decision does not require the DOE to release any funds but, rather, asks that the federal agency provide the states with better explanations for withholding the grant money.
AbleChild would guess that a simple answer of “first do a better job educating before attempting to dabble in mental health” wouldn’t be acceptable. But it would be an honest response. Better still, how about everyone agree that America’s school-age children should not be a playground for psychiatric experimentation.
AbleChild is a 501(3) C nonprofit organization that has recently co-written landmark legislation in Tennessee, setting a national precedent for transparency and accountability in the intersection of mental health, pharmaceutical practices, and public safety.
What you can do. Sign the Petition calling for federal hearings!
Donate! Every dollar you give is a powerful statement, a resounding declaration that the struggles of these families will no longer be ignored. Your generosity today will echo through generations, ensuring that the rights and well-being of children are fiercely guarded. Don’t let another family navigate this journey alone. Donate now and join us in creating a world where every child’s mind is nurtured, respected, and given the opportunity to thrive. As a 501(c)3 organization, your donation to AbleChild is not only an investment in the well-being of vulnerable children but also a tax-deductible contribution to a cause that transcends individual lives.
Discount test subjects.
Little Toby growing extra fingers could be beneficial.
I have yet to see anyone with mental health problems actually cured by psychologist and pharma. In fact everyone I've ever seen get help has become much worse after.
Only surgeons cure. (but a scalpel can't solve a trans mental problem) Psych can help you confront and tackle your issues.
"Manufacturing Depression" by Greenberg (Psychiatrist) is an eye opening testimony and actual patient experiment on the short comings of prescriptions for cluster A&B disorders.
Jail those who are writing the Rx's, and bring an end to Big Pharma….they're the drug pushers who are harming society….by design.
More like they want the money because there is big time fraud involved.
THAT is the more likely.
How about……ZERO dollars in mental health funding, and stop putting psychological tablets in childrens mouths, and have a full review of the profession of psychiatry and psychology, and REQUIRE a parent or guardian be present during all interactions between any school medical staff and students, in order to prevent billion-dollar school system-closing lawsuits.
HEY, TEACHER, LEAVE THEM KIDS ALONE!!!!!!!!!!!
Our little boy was in trouble starting grade school. Teacher diagnosed ADHD. So we changed schools. He was tested gifted, same drill, so we changed schools. 3rd school had a gifted teacher who connected with him and he thrived. The next 3 years in a different classroom, he thrived even more. So he dropped out of H.S. freshman year and was starting his doctorate in Math, teaching math, teaching computer science at the university age 21.
Doped up students will not work.
Good on you. Thank you for not taking the word of these quacks.
Adhd often means they're too smart and bored waiting for the teacher to teach the slow kids living off of soda, mac & cheese, cupcakes, ice cream and skittles.
Much of this is coming out of the schools. And it is mostly boys who can't sit still for hours on end a day. The school counselor refers them for psychological exams, the psychologist prescribes dope to keep them in their seats and quiet in the classroom. It's a racket. One that is costing lives.
Jut do what was done back before the 80's. A wooden instrument with 3/8" holes drilled in it did a wonderful job with kids that had "mental" issues.
These kids are as big as a prize fighter and non compos mentis.
You'll wind up in the ER.
I will disagree. The problem is what the kids are being subjected to, in the classroom. It's not education; it's brainwashing. Little boys, who don't find the classroom interesting, are especially susceptible.
What, are you flipping crazy !? No, you'te not
Why do we have millions in Meatal Health going to school districts ? Are they now Mental Health Institutions / child care centers. Defund all of it !
Just follow the money.
Always !
The Department of Energy is DOE. The Department of Education is DoEd or just ED.
I saw that too.
I'm sorry, where is this authorized in the US Constitution?
People think that everything can be fixed or solved with a pill. So many people around me are on a laundry list of pharmaceuticals high blood pressure, cholesterol, pain rather than changing lifestyle or eating habits. I personally think that a serious look has to be had regarding Marijuana being "harmless".
".. 75 billion real federal tax dollars already being spent on mental health services in states"
— THAT'S CLEARLY $75 BILLION IN PURE FRAUD, WASTE, ABUSE AND THEFT OF AMERICAN TAXPAYER MONEY. THE NUMBERS OF MENTALLY ILL FAR-LEFT LUNATICS CONTINUE TO INCREASE EVERY SECOND …AND WE ALL KNOW THERE IS NO CURE FOR LIBERAL EXTREMISM OR TDS AFFLICTION !!!
Imagine how much more mentally sound kids would be if they were actually learning something. Get government 100% OUT of education. No STEALING to fund it, no running day prisons pretending to be schools….no teacher certification….NOTHING.
We have reached the point where the healthcare industry–physical OR mental–has stepped away from promoting health, and is now focused on the indu$try. Doctors are no longer about caring for their patients, and now are concerned with making that next payment on their and their significant other's luxury car. What's the last thing Dr. says as (s)he's leaving the consultation? "Stop by the receptionist and make your next appointment."
Big Pharma demands more money to be spent on their manufactured "anti-depressants," which the states and the DOE complied without question.
The result: more kids engaging in violent activities including murder.
The very definition of fascism is the marriage between the government and corporations, and this is a good example of why there should be a separation of the two.
Another route to getting social security disability crazy checks….
Having kids act up in school to get a crazy check is an old scam…..
I CALL FOR A MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM TO BE AVAILABLE TO YOUNG PEOPLE TRANSISTIONING FROM CHILDHOOD TO BEING A CONTRIBUTING ADULT. Not a drug abuse or battered child program, rather, a program where all young people have access to counsellors that can engage for short term issues that may be corrected with minimal help. Undoubtedly, there will be others requiring more complex therapy and thet may continue therapy as needed. Our young people are our future, treat them with love and respect for a more peaceful future.
This is insane.
Kids raised in the 50's neither had these resources OR THESE PROBLEMS…. there are 3 reasons they exist today….poisons in food, Big Pharma, and a profession that is corrupt. It is that simple and obvious.
Mental health of young people is getting substantially worse because these kids are soft. But they are soft because parents are not being parents. We have a generation of sissies that will soon be entrusted with leading us into the future. God help us.
They are whining because this cash was probably really supposed to be used to launder money to politicians and political causes. HEY MORONS…elections have consequences.
"The question is why states are whining about $1 billion in mental health grants when so many are swimming in mental health money already budgeted through mandatory federal programs."
Because that's $1 billion extra to their own offshore accounts
Gee, I survived school when there were NO mental health funds being spent. While I agree the schools should be aware of a student's mental health if there is a problem, I also think the schools are causing many of the mental health issues we are seeing today. For starters, we don't need any type of transgender BS in any school, K-12. Much less, indoctrination.
Which states? If you don't list the states, it's an incomplete article.
How long has it been since Barry Loukaitis, Kip Kinkel, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed people in schools in their respective states – Washington, Oregon and Colorado. Two of the boys killed parents before going to the schools. The use of antidepressants was spotlighted then. And nothing was done.
Loukaitis had been subjected to systems education all his years in the government schools. Had something been done, then, this penchant for doping children would have been stopped. But the money the states were receiving was more important than the welfare of the children being doped.
"And the kicker is that the mental health industry cannot prove that any mental disorder is an objective confirmable abnormality in the brain. That’s right. No abnormality that is being “treated.” Mental disorders are based on lists of alleged abnormal behaviors voted into existence by the very industry that gets paid to “treat” them. Most people would call that a conflict of a very dubious nature. And, further, the pharmaceutical companies who produce the drugs used as “treatment” for the made-up mental disorders haven’t got a clue how the drugs “work” in the brain as “treatment.”
It wasn't long ago that we used to make jokes about "witch-doctors" and "snake-oil salesmen". Today, they're known simply as "MEDICAL DOCTORS" and folks seek out their "care".
Wow! How far we have fallen…
Close the public schools down.
Make education 100% a family matter.
Good teachers and schools can compete in the free market to gain each families' education dollars.
Parents can also select to homeschool their children.
You have some valid points there. All of which are made moot because you're a bigot. Yes people are making money scamming the system. Like most things in our bloated government, it's more difficult to find those who are not collecting money for free. However, spitting on those of us with a life changing disorder. Why. I'm the fifth generation of my mothers family to have bipolar disorder. I don't drink, do drugs, or sit back and play games. I come from a loving family. I learned to work hard with my dad. I graduated college. Then the world changed. Bipolar kicked in, and I've been at war with it since. I know that story has no affect on any of your opinions. But in an abundance of caution, could you tone it down a bit on calling us all criminals. The suicide rate for people with bipolar disorder is Fifty time greater the vast ,vast majority of the population.
Each Billion $ is ~$3.00 per every USA man-woman-child.
$75 Billion is $900 for a family of 4.
Remember the italicized line to easily determine your (initial) costs.
The consumer pays all taxes in higher prices, even if the IRS never keeps your withholdings. (and the economy is slowed, and is more controlled and directed, and is less usable, and more bureaucrats are empowered, and more hogs line up at the troughs, and…, and…)
I'm mean holy sheet, Batnan ! That's a lot of money. Maybe states should start paying for their own schools.
We used to have mental hospitals when we were 90% or so White. Homogeneous countries take care of their "brothers", their "folks". Today 58% White, falling to 50% by 2042.
Homeless rates by country. See any correlation with homogeneity?
Iceland 0.00%
Japan 0.00%
South Korea 0.02%
Norway 0.07%
Poland 0.08%
Hungary 0.10%
Denmark 0.11%
Finland 0.13%
Austria 0.17%
Greece 0.18%
France 0.21%
Ireland 0.22%