The Future of HHS

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s revamping of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) took a new turn on Thursday when officials announced that the department’s workforce would be reduced by another 10,000 employees to comply with President Donald Trump’s and Elon Musk’s orders to reduce the federal government drastically. HHS announced that the agency’s “dramatic restructuring” will result in cuts to offices such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

The agency provided details on the specific offices that will see cuts, including the NIH, which will lose about 1,200 employees; the FDA, which will lose about 3,500 employees, which HHS claims “will not affect drug, medical device, or food reviewers, nor will it impact inspectors”; the CMS, which will lose about 300 employees, which the agency says “will not impact Medicare and Medicaid services”; and the CDC, which will lose about 2,400.

HHS’s efforts to reduce its workforce, including buyout offers and a January “fork in the road” email offering federal workers eight months’ pay to resign, will result in a nearly 25% reduction in the department’s total workforce. In a six-minute video describing the proposals, Kennedy admitted that the changes will result in “a painful period for HHS.”

HHS’s press release also announced the disbanding of the Administration for Community Living, which manages critical programs and services for the disabled and elderly. It includes independent living centers as well as protection and advocacy agencies, which were established by Congress and perform critical tasks such as investigating abuse claims in group homes for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities; in 2022, ACL also unveiled a National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers. 

“This is part of a bigger assault on older adults,” says Alison Barkoff, who led ACL during the Biden Administration. “ACL serves as a hub for programs that benefit older adults and people with disabilities.”

Five of the Department of Health and Human Services’s regional offices will also close. As previously reported, federal employees questioned how offices would handle the influx of in-person employees. It is unclear how this will impact the agency’s return-to-office mandate, which requires employees within 50 miles of an HHS office to start working in person five days a week. Those who live more than 50 miles from an HHS building have been ordered to report to any federal office building.

The department says that the changes will save $1.8 billion each year. The department additionally stated that it would also create a new Assistant Secretary for Enforcement “to combat waste, fraud, and abuse in federal health programs.” “Over time, bureaucracies like HHS become wasteful and inefficient even when most of their staff are dedicated and competent civil servants,” Kennedy said in an statement. “This overhaul will be a win-win for taxpayers and for those that HHS serves.”

Cutting staff and programs within The United States Department of Health and Human Services will impact millions of Americans. While these changes may save money, scaling back the number of employees at the  United States Department of Health and Human Services could mean there is little progress when it comes to research and treatments for various medical conditions. In addition, the disbandment of the ACL is a major step backward for disabled and elderly people.

Sources:

Gleckman, Howard. “Trump Abolishes the Office That Supports Many Seniors and People with Disabilities.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 27 Mar. 2025, http://www.forbes.com/sites/howardgleckman/2025/03/27/trump-abolishes-the-office-that—supports-many-seniors-and-people-with-disabilities/. 

McShane, Julianne, and Julia Métraux. “‘A Sicker America’: RFK Jr.’s HHS Will Lay off 10,000 Staff.” Mother Jones, Mother Jones, 27 Mar. 2025, http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/03/hhs-rfk-layoffs-cuts-acl-health/. 

Seitz, Amanda. “Top US Health Agency Makes $25,000 Buyout Offer to Most of Its Employees.” AP News, AP News, 10 Mar. 2025, apnews.com/article/hhs-employee-buyouts-kennedy-cdc-nih-medicaid-bf5a746518b2b3fe967ab95a8e2a1a65. 

Simmons-Duffin, Selena, et al. “The Trump Administration Restructures Federal Health Agencies, Cuts 20,000 Jobs.” NPR, NPR, 27 Mar. 2025, http://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/03/27/nx-s1-5342414/hhs-doge-rif-rfk-job-cuts.