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Senate HELP Committee Questions HHS Budget Cuts, Reorganization and Staff Reductions
Summary
Senators pressed HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the administration's proposed fiscal 2026 budget, large staff reductions and a reorganization that lawmakers say has delayed services and threatened programs including NIH research, CDC activities, NIOSH functions and Head Start funding.
The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions on Thursday pressed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over the department's fiscal 2026 budget proposal and a reorganization that has led to widespread reductions in staff and program consolidations.
The committee's questioning centered on whether HHS can preserve core services while cutting administrative functions and reallocating funds.
Kennedy told the committee he will "shift funding away from bureaucracy and toward direct impact," and that the budget aims to "preserve legacy programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Head Start" while consolidating other offices into what he described as an "Administration for a Healthy America." He said the department would "prioritize these families especially Native American and Alaskan communities" and "protect IHS funding, streamline its operations, and give the tribes more autonomy in managing their resources." (Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services)
Lawmakers raised a string of concerns about how the cuts and restructuring are being implemented and communicated. Senator Patty…
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