In a sweeping overhaul of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has implemented significant cuts that threaten to deepen health disparities for minority and underserved populations across the United States. According to sources familiar with the situation, Kennedy has dismantled at least seven minority health offices within the department, resulting in widespread layoffs of their staff and directors.
Among the affected units are the HHS Office of Minority Health and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD). Additional cuts have impacted similar offices at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
Health policy experts have voiced concerns that these drastic reductions could reverse years of progress in addressing health disparities, ultimately harming not only racial and ethnic minorities but also rural residents, low-income communities, and individuals with disabilities. Dr. Stephanie Ettinger De Cuba, a research professor at Boston University, emphasized the broader implications, stating, "It will have negative health impacts, obviously, for groups that they're focused on, so racial and ethnic minorities, but I think what gets missed in the story is it ultimately impacts all of us, no matter what your background is."
Kennedy's restructuring plan includes the consolidation of divisions and the elimination of approximately 10,000 jobs at HHS, a sprawling agency with a budget of $1.7 trillion that oversees critical public health functions, including vaccine distribution, pandemic preparedness, and health care for millions of Americans.
In a controversial move, Kennedy aims to establish a new agency called the Administration for a Healthy America, which would absorb several existing offices, including HRSA and SAMHSA. A leaked preliminary budget document suggests that the HHS Office of Minority Health would be incorporated into this new agency, which could result in a budget cut of nearly a third, or around $40 billion, pending congressional approval.
As a result of the cuts, all 40 staff members at the CMS Office of Minority Health have been laid off, and nearly all staff at the CDC's Office of Minority Health have also been cut. The FDA's Office of Minority Health and Health Equity has seen its entire staff eliminated, while HRSA's Office of Health Equity has been left without any personnel after layoffs and retirements.
In addition, SAMHSA's Office of Behavioral Health Equity has lost all but one of its remaining staff members. The NIMHD has also experienced a significant reduction in its workforce, losing roughly a third of its staff due to layoffs and early retirements.
Experts warn that these cuts could have dire consequences for public health. A 2023 study funded by NIMHD revealed that racial and ethnic health disparities cost the U.S. economy $451 billion in 2018. By undermining the offices responsible for addressing these disparities, Kennedy's actions could exacerbate existing health inequities.
Meanwhile, Kennedy has also made headlines by claiming that his administration is addressing an alleged government connection to child sex trafficking, a narrative that has been widely discredited as a conspiracy theory. During a White House Cabinet meeting, he asserted, "We have ended HHS’s role as the principal vector in this country for child trafficking," referring to unsubstantiated allegations made by former President Donald Trump about 300,000 missing migrant children.
Trump's claims have been met with skepticism from experts, who argue that the numbers reflect administrative shortcomings rather than evidence of trafficking. Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, policy director of the American Immigration Council, noted that the data indicates a "paperwork issue" rather than anything nefarious.
In another controversial policy shift, Kennedy announced that HHS would cease funding for gender-affirming surgeries and related practices for minors. This move reverses the previous administration's support for gender-affirming care and aligns with Kennedy's broader agenda to reshape health policies.
On April 29, 2025, HHS was also instructed to halt research activities at a facility in Frederick, Maryland, that studies Ebola and other infectious diseases. The Integrated Research Facility, part of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was told to stop all experimental work, including studies on Lassa fever and SARS-CoV-2. This decision follows Kennedy's announcement of mass layoffs within the agency, further disrupting critical research efforts.
As the implications of Kennedy's policies unfold, experts warn that the cuts to minority health offices and the cessation of vital research could have lasting impacts on public health in the United States. The fate of numerous grants designed to address health disparities is now uncertain, raising concerns about the future of community-based organizations that rely on federal funding.
As the nation grapples with the repercussions of these sweeping changes, many are left wondering how the cuts will affect the health outcomes of vulnerable populations and whether the momentum gained in recent years to address health disparities can be sustained.
