RFK Jr. Defends HHS Staff Cuts and Reorganization at House and Senate Hearings

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended plans to cut over $30 billion from the HHS budget and reduce agency staff from 82,000 to 62,000 during House and Senate hearings on May 14, 2025.12

Kennedy described these cuts and reorganizations as necessary to streamline a 'bloated and inefficient' department, stating his intention to make the agency more efficient and effective in delivering services to over 100 million Americans.1

The budget proposal under review would implement significant savings, partly via Medicaid changes, with the Congressional Budget Office estimating that 8.6 million people could lose health coverage over the next decade if enacted.2

Democrats pressed Kennedy on the magnitude and implications of the cuts, questioning whether the department was already withholding billions that Congress had appropriated for the current year.1

Kennedy’s reorganization includes cutting 10,000 jobs and consolidating several HHS agencies, prompting demands from Democratic senators for more details and concerns about the immediate and long-term impacts on public health.4

Kennedy faced hours of questioning by both the House Appropriations Committee and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, justifying the reorganization and cost-cutting as means to combat chronic disease and reduce redundancy.13

Sources:

1. https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/05/14/congress/democrats-confront-rfk-jr-on-budget-cuts-but-will-need-republican-help-to-stop-them-00349264

2. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-hhs-secretary-rfk-jr-testifies-on-2026-white-house-budget-request

3. https://endpts.com/rfk-jr-defends-hhs-staff-cuts-at-two-congressional-hearings/

4. https://www.risehealth.org/insights-articles/senate-panel-schedules-hearing-with-rfk-jr-for-details-on-hhs-reorganization/