Trump administration plans deep cuts at HHS, shuttering key health programs

The Trump administration is proposing a 30 percent reduction to the Department of Health and Human Services budget, a move that would eliminate dozens of programs and consolidate several agencies, according to a document obtained by Politico..

The OMB)plan would slash HHS discretionary funding to $80.4 billion, down from $116.8 billion in fiscal 2025. Public health initiatives—including HIV/AIDS prevention, autism programs, and firearm injury research—would be defunded. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, among other agencies, would be eliminated.

Select activities would be housed under a new entity, the Administration for a Healthy America, with a significantly smaller $14 billion budget. Funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and NIH would also be reduced by more than 40 percent. Major restructuring at CDC would refocus it on infectious diseases, while several NIH research centers—including those working on minority health—would be shuttered.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has already overseen a dramatic downsizing, laying off about 10,000 employees, with another 10,000 departing via buyouts or early retirements earlier this month.

OMB spokesperson Rachel Cauley told Politico that “no final funding decisions have been made,” but the 10 April document reveals the extent of the administration’s reshaping of federal medical and public health agencies..

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HHS, Trump administration, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., health policy, budget cuts, NIH, CDC, public health

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The Trump administration proposes slashing HHS funding by 30%, dismantling key health programs and consolidating agencies under a new framework. Big cuts loom for NIH, CDC. #PublicHealth #HHS