HHS Secretary Kennedy Announces Massive Cuts
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unveiled sweeping cuts to his department on Thursday, marking the Trump administration’s latest move to significantly reduce the federal government’s size and scope, Bloomberg reports.
According to an HHS statement, Kennedy plans to eliminate 10,000 employee positions. Combined with existing departures from buyouts, this will reduce the agency’s workforce to 62,000, a significant drop from its previous 82,000 employees.
Beyond personnel reductions, Kennedy aims to streamline HHS by consolidating its 28 divisions into 15 and reducing the number of regional offices from 10 to five. A new Administration for a Healthy America division will also be created. HHS projects these changes will yield annual cost savings of $1.8 billion.
“We are realigning the organization with its core mission and our new priorities in reversing the chronic disease epidemic,” Kennedy stated. “This Department will do more – a lot more – at a lower cost to the taxpayer.”
Kennedy, a known vaccine skeptic with controversial views on public health issues, has pledged to reshape the department and federal health policies under his “Make America Healthy Again” agenda.
As HHS Secretary, Kennedy oversees influential agencies like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), giving him considerable authority over drug approvals, vaccine recommendations, and public health guidance. The HHS budget accounts for approximately a quarter of the federal budget, largely due to its control over federal insurance programs for the elderly and low-income.
The cuts are expected to face strong opposition from Democrats and public health advocates, who are already concerned about the extent of the Trump administration’s federal budget reductions, largely driven by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency initiative.
Critics warn that these cuts to federal health programs could negatively impact food safety, vaccine development, and the approval process for crucial medical treatments.
