Suicide Hotline Funding Sought to Meet Mental Health Crisis

President Joe Biden wants Congress to beef up funds to deploy a national suicide prevention hotline the administration says is key to addressing a U.S. mental health crisis exacerbated by the pandemic.

The administration’s fiscal 2023 budget request, released Monday, proposes funneling $697 million to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline — currently a 10-digit number that will transform into an easy-to-remember 988 code.

The pot of money would be in addition to the $282 million the Biden administration already invested in December.

Earlier: Biden to Lay Out Plan for Expanding Access to Mental Health Care

The hotline “will expand access ...