(Washington, DC) –  Today, Health and Human Services (HHS), led by Robert F. Kennedy  Jr., enacted a restructuring of the department, impacting nearly 10,000 of the department’s staff. 

This restructuring will result in cutting 300 employees from the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS), 1,200 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 2,400 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and 3,500 from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in total reducing the staff from 82,000 to 62,000 full-time employees. Additionally, this action reorganizes many HHS divisions and reduces the total amount from 28 to 15.

This action will have detrimental consequences to the future of combating disease, access to affordable health care, and the overall health of Americans.

In response, Mina Schultz, Health Care Policy and Advocacy Manager at Young Invincibles, said: 

“The administration is recklessly cutting staff of critical HHS agencies that are vital to the well-being of Americans. These cuts directly impact services that young adults rely on, including Medicaid, mental health services, and research to better prevent illness and chronic conditions. If we want to prioritize the health of Americans we must invest in communities by providing essential services and resources, not spend precious dollars to reinvent the wheel by studying already accepted science. 

This is another repulsive attempt by the Administration to politicize the health and care of young Americans. HHS claims that this reorganization will not impact Medicare and Medicaid services; young adults depend on Medicaid for health care and will hold the department to its word. This is not an effort to make America healthy again, but a calculated act that jeopardizes the well-being of millions, prioritizing political gain over the fundamental right to accessible, quality health care for all.”

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Young Invincibles (YI) is a national advocacy and policy nonprofit organization focused on amplifying the voice of young people in the political process at the local, state, and federal levels. YI focuses on issues impacting young adults ages 18 to 34 in higher education, health care, economic security, and civic engagement. Our offices include Washington, D.C., California, Colorado, Illinois, New York, and Texas. For more information, please contact Emma Bittner at (972) 510-3395 or emma.bittner@younginvincibles.org