The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is undergoing a substantial restructuring, involving the dismissal of 10,000 workers and the closure of entire agencies. This reorganization will impact entities that manage billions in funding for addiction services and community health centers nationwide. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. denounced the department as an “inefficient sprawling bureaucracy” in a social media video, blaming its 82,000 employees for a drop in Americans’ health standards.
Kennedy pledged to achieve more with fewer resources. However, the plan follows a period of uncertainty at the top health department, which faced rumors of mass layoffs, a cutback of $11 billion in public health funding, a lukewarm response to a measles outbreak, and controversial remarks about vaccines from the new head. Despite this, Kennedy warned of a “painful period” ahead for HHS, which manages infectious diseases, food and hospital inspections, and health insurance programs covering almost half the American population.
The department’s workforce will shrink to 62,000, with 10,000 job losses due to layoffs, and another 10,000 retiring or leaving voluntarily under encouragement from the Trump administration. Public health professionals and Democratic lawmakers criticized the plan, warning of profound effects.
Critics, including food policy expert Brian Ronholm, expressed grave concerns about the consequences on public health and food safety. However, Kennedy argued that despite the department’s $1.7 trillion budget, it hasn’t succeeded in enhancing Americans’ health.
A significant decline in cancer death rates by 34% over the last two decades, avoiding 4.5 million deaths, was noted by the American Cancer Society. This progress was largely due to improved treatments and earlier detection, courtesy of agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which might face changes under Kennedy’s plan to centralize functions currently left to individual agencies.
The most significant cuts will affect the FDA and CDC. Federal health workers across various agencies are experiencing shock and fear due to the lack of prior notification about job cuts, leaving many unsure about their employment status.
HHS elaborated on which positions are to be cut: 3,500 at the FDA; 2,400 at the CDC; 1,200 at the NIH; and 300 at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). These changes aim to save $1.8 billion annually, though detailed breakdowns were not provided.
A further concern is Kennedy’s plan to close agencies, some established by Congress. Agencies like the Health Resources and Services Administration and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which are crucial for funding and managing local community initiatives, will be absorbed into a new entity called the Administration for a Healthy America.
Republican and Democrat senators expressed differing views. GOP Senator Mike Rounds suggested a wait-and-see approach, whereas Democrat Senator Patty Murray highlighted the clear negative implications of the staff reductions.
The restructuring of HHS presents a controversial turn in American public health, provoking concerns about the future adequacy of health services and resources across the nation.