Despite being one of the few bills that earns support from members of both parties, a proposal to increase federal spending on mental health services appears unlikely to get through Congress this year.
The $500 million bill is backed by the Obama administration as well as leaders of both parties in the House and Senate. However, conservative lawmakers in the House — many of whom backed the government shutdown in 2013 — have raised objections to new spending.
Similarly, conservatives on the House Budget Committee demonstrated their distaste for any new funds for health by recommending a bill last month that would reduce federal spending by $6.5 trillion over the next decade, but at a heavy cost to the public health programs, such as Medicaid, that any ambitious mental health initiative would undoubtedly depend on.
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And it's always tough to get things passed during an election year, although traditional political calculus appears increasingly irrelevant in light of the utterly unpredictable, bizarre race for the GOP nomination, which threatens to split the party in two.
Long a priority for liberals, increased funding for mental health has gained acceptance among many Republicans in recent years, particularly in response to mass shootings. Republican leaders, as well as the National Rifle Association (NRA), have suggested that the way to prevent such tragedies is to bolster treatment for the mentally ill, rather than to restrict gun rights.
"The common theme with these types of shootings is mental illness," House Speaker Paul Ryan said after a shooting at an abortion clinic in Colorado in December. "We should make this a priority to prevent the violence and to protect our citizens."
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