The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the primary federal agency responsible for protecting the health and well-being of all Americans. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who promised to "Make America Healthy Again," just fired a quarter of the department's staff. 

On March 27, 2025, the Trump administration announced a major restructuring of HHS, resulting in the elimination of 20,000 full-time positions. This downsizing reduces the HHS workforce from 82,000 to 62,000 employees and consolidates 28 divisions into 15. Affected agencies include 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 (CMS).

These cuts will weaken our nation’s ability to respond to health crises, delay medical research, jeopardize food and drug safety, and disrupt essential healthcare services. The consolidation will hurt some of our most vulnerable communities, with cuts targeting maternal and child health, mental health, and HIV/AIDS. The loss of jobs will also have widespread economic consequences, affecting families and communities across the country.

We urge the administration to restore these positions, conduct a transparent review of HHS operations, and work with public health experts to ensure that any reforms strengthen rather than undermine our healthcare system. The health and safety of the American people must not be sacrificed in the name of bureaucratic restructuring.

We demand immediate action to reverse these harmful cuts and protect the essential functions of HHS.