HHS secretary defends sweeping 2026 reorganization and proposed cuts as Democrats warn of lost programs and staff

Secretary Kennedy, the head of the Department of Health and Human Services, told the House Appropriations Committee that the department's fiscal 2026 proposal would consolidate programs and shift resources toward chronic disease prevention and food safety while also cutting administrative costs.

The proposal, Kennedy said, includes creation of an "Administration for Healthy America" and would redirect discretionary funding to prevention, nutrition and research Kennedy called "high impact" while cutting what he described as waste and duplication.

The committee's top Democrat, Representative Rosa DeLauro, called the administration's approach a "disgrace," saying the White House budget would slash billions from public‑health agencies. "I cannot thank you for the Trump administration's budget request to cut funding for important health programs by $33,000,000,000. Quite frankly, I view it as a disgrace," DeLauro said during opening remarks.

Why it matters: Committee members said the proposed consolidation and cuts would affect programs that deliver services to states, localities and vulnerable populations and risk disrupting ongoing research and prevention programs. Democrats pressed for details on which functions would be eliminated or transferred and asked for documentation showing programmatic and financial impacts.

Most important facts

- Kennedy said the administration proposes to concentrate spending on chronic disease prevention, food safety and a new Administration for Healthy America; he described a budget that "will shift funding away from bureaucracy toward direct impact" and cited a discretionary request he said totals about $94,000,000,000 for priorities.

- DeLauro and other Democrats said the proposal would cut NIH and CDC deeply, alleging a wider dismantling of HHS. DeLauro said the budget would cut funding for health programs by $33 billion and eliminate or reduce funding for multiple HHS components, naming SAMHSA, HRSA, ASPR and the Administration for Community Living in her remarks.

- Committee members repeatedly asked whether the administration was withholding or impounding funds that Congress had already appropriated; Kennedy twice responded, "If you appropriate the money, I'm gonna spend that money," while also defending the administration's proposals to remove duplication and reduce staff.

- Kennedy said the department has reduced staff and reorganized offices, and described plans to preserve legacy programs including Medicare, Medicaid and Head Start while moving some prevention and chronic disease programs into the new administration. He also said a court order had temporarily limited planning on some reorganization work.

Context and supporting details

- Democrats cited concrete program impacts: statements in the hearing record said HHS had cut grant funding to state and local health departments and reduced personnel across agencies. DeLauro said HHS "closed half of its regional offices" and that "20,000 HHS employees are gone." Kennedy disputed some characterizations but acknowledged a decline in personnel since 2019.

- On CDC, DeLauro said more than 70% of CDC funding goes to state and local jurisdictions and warned the cuts would damage prevention programs, including those for HIV, tobacco, asthma, lead poisoning and gun violence. Kennedy said programs had been transferred into the Administration for Healthy America but added he was restricted from detailed discussion by a court order.

- Kennedy said the administration would preserve Head Start and Indian Health Service funding, and asserted the department would maintain programs for vulnerable populations while streamlining administrative functions.

What the committee asked for

Members repeatedly requested documentation showing which programs are being consolidated or eliminated, the criteria used to make those decisions, and analyses demonstrating the changes would not harm service delivery. The secretary said the department would provide requested information where not prohibited by court order.

Ending

Committee members signaled they plan follow‑up oversight. DeLauro said she will "never stop fighting" against what she called dismantling of HHS programs; Kennedy said he looks forward to working with Congress on the budget process. The hearing produced no formal funding actions; any change to programs or funding requires congressional appropriation or statutory changes.