RFK Jr. plans to slash HHS staff by 20K, gutting an entire alphabet soup of departments

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F.Kennedy Jr.

unveiled plans Thursday to cut his workforce by about 10,000 current full-time employees and save an estimated $1.3 billion annually.That move means that HHS’ total workforce will fall from 82,000 to 62,000 since the start of the second Trump administration after 10,000 other workers opted to leave government of their own accord, according to an announcement from the secretary.“This will be a painful period for HHS as we downsize,” Kennedy, 71, admitted in a video message.“We’re keenly focused on paring away excess administrators while increasing the number of scientists and frontline health care providers so that we can do a better job.”“I want this agency to once again be a revered scientific institution,” he added.The restructuring plan consolidates 28 divisions of HHS into 15 main units, including a newly minted Administration for a Healthy America, under which agencies dealing with mental health, workplace safety, substance abuse and more will be combined.Additionally, the plan will consolidate offices of human resources, procurement, policy, external affairs, and information technology operations.

HHS will also cut five of its current 10 regional offices.RFK Jr.’s plan also calls for a new Office of Strategy that consolidates the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ); as well as the movement of Administration for Community Living programs into other HHS agencies.“We are streamlining HHS to make our agency more efficient and more effective,” Kennedy explained.“We will eliminate an entire alphabet soup of departments while preserving their core functions by merging them into a new organization called the Administration for a Healthy America or AHA.”Kennedy also announced a new Assistant Secretary for Enforcement role, whose officeholder will work to crack down on waste in federal health programs.“Ove...