President Joe Biden tweeted about the success of "our Administration's" suicide hotline program over the weekend.
The tweet was immediately fact-check by community notes, which points out the program wasn't established by Biden. It was signed into law by President Donald Trump after passing with bipartisan support in the House and Senate.
"988 was signed into law in 2019 under the Trump Administration," the community notes section states.
One year after its launch, our Administration's 988 suicide and crisis hotline has helped 5 million Americans when they needed it most.
— President Biden (@POTUS) July 16, 2023
One year ago, we launched 988 — a national network of crisis centers to answer calls and texts from folks who need rapid mental health care.
— President Biden (@POTUS) July 16, 2023
Mental health affects all of us. And I remain committed to ensuring that every American has access to support when they need it. pic.twitter.com/Zb6wvzwGB0
"President Trump has signed into law a bipartisan bill to create a three-digit number for mental health emergencies. The Federal Communications Commission had already picked 988 as the number for this hotline and aims to have it up and running by July 2022. The new law paves the way to make that a reality," NPR reported at the time the legislation was signed by Trump in 2019. "The existing lifeline is a national network of about 170 local crisis centers. When someone calls the national number, they're routed to the local crisis center that's closest to them."
The 988-appropriations report gives additional detail about the program.
The creation of 988 is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to strengthen and expand the Lifeline and transform America’s behavioral health crisis care system to one that saves lives by serving anyone, at any time, from anywhere across the nation. Preparing the Lifeline for full 988 operational readiness will require a bold vision for a system that provides direct, life-saving services to all in need and links them to community-based providers uniquely positioned to deliver a full range of crisis care services. SAMHSA sees 988 as the linchpin and catalyst for a transformed behavioral health crisis system in much the same way that, over time, 911 spurred the growth of emergency medical services in the United States
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