Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., working alongside Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team, has announced a sweeping restructuring of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that will eliminate up to 20,000 bureaucratic positions and dramatically streamline federal health operations.
The overhaul is aimed at cutting waste, eliminating redundancy, and refocusing HHS on frontline care, public health preparedness, and efficiency. The first phase of the restructuring includes approximately 10,000 job cuts, projected to save $1.8 billion annually.
What’s Changing: Major Structural Reform
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Creation of the Administration for a Healthy America (AHA)
This newly formed agency will consolidate numerous bloated and overlapping entities, including the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH), HRSA, SAMHSA, ATSDR, and NIOSH. The AHA will focus on primary care, mental health, maternal health, HIV/AIDS programs, and environmental health—streamlining government efforts under one accountable umbrella. -
Integration of Emergency Response into CDC
The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), currently handling national emergencies, will be absorbed into the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sharpening the CDC’s focus on true public health crises rather than bureaucratic drift. -
New Assistant Secretary for Enforcement
A new enforcement arm will oversee the Departmental Appeals Board, Medicare Hearings, and the Office for Civil Rights. Its mission: crack down on fraud, waste, abuse, and regulatory overreach. -
Creation of the Office of Strategy
By combining the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), this office will deliver policy-driving research and help align federal programs with real-world effectiveness. -
Reorganization of Aging and Disability Services
The Administration for Community Living (ACL) will be disbanded and its responsibilities reassigned to more efficient agencies like the Administration for Children and Families, improving service delivery to seniors and disabled Americans.
RFK Jr.: Bureaucracy Has Outpaced the Mission
Secretary Kennedy didn’t hold back in describing the current state of HHS:
“We have more than 100 different communications departments, over 40 IT departments, and dozens of HR and procurement divisions. This isn’t government—it’s a jobs program for Washington insiders.”
The goal, Kennedy said, is to cut the bloat and redirect taxpayer dollars toward real science, real healthcare, and real results.
Backed by Trump’s Executive Order
The overhaul follows President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency Workforce Optimization Initiative, a signature part of his second-term agenda. With Musk’s DOGE task force leading the charge, the Trump administration is delivering on its promise to drain the swamp—agency by agency.
No Cuts to Frontline Providers or Scientists
Despite the deep cuts, Kennedy made it clear that scientists, frontline healthcare professionals, and critical personnel will remain untouched. The focus is on trimming the fat—not weakening America’s healthcare defense.
Critics Push Back, Administration Stands Firm
Some union-backed organizations have already voiced concerns, warning about the potential disruption to government services. But Trump officials have countered by pointing to decades of unchecked growth and duplication inside HHS.
One official stated: “This is a return to common sense. We’re not cutting care—we’re cutting the layers of bureaucracy that block it.”
Streamlined, Accountable, Effective
The restructuring of HHS marks a defining moment in the Trump administration’s second term—an unapologetic push to take on the federal bureaucracy and build a leaner, more accountable government. And with RFK Jr. and Elon Musk teaming up, Washington’s permanent class may finally be on notice.