HHS Secretary Kennedy announces Mercury phase-out, major hiring push and $1 billion for Indian Health Service infrastructure
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Summary
At an IHS event marking 70 years, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pledged to phase out mercury dental amalgams at IHS clinics, launch the agency’s largest hiring initiative to address a claimed 30% personnel shortfall, and direct $1 billion in departmental funds beginning in fiscal 2027 to tackle an estimated $8 billion facilities backlog.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. used remarks at an event marking 70 years of the Indian Health Service to announce a set of concrete actions aimed at strengthening tribal health care: phasing out mercury dental amalgams at IHS clinics, a major hiring initiative, and a department-directed infrastructure investment beginning in fiscal year 2027.
Kennedy opened by thanking tribal leaders and reaffirming the federal trust responsibility for American Indian and Alaska Native health care. He said the Indian Health Service delivers care through federally operated facilities, urban Indian programs and tribally operated systems, and that the department must make that system “work and to make it stronger.”
The most immediate policy pledge he announced was a directive that “IHS clinics will adopt modern alternatives” and that the department will “phase out mercury-containing dental amalgams at IHS facilities.” Kennedy framed the change as a patient-safety decision and said his office reviewed the science and operational impact before deciding to transition to other materials.
He also said the department has launched what he called “the largest hiring initiative in IHS history” in response to what he described as a roughly 30% personnel deficit across IHS. The plan, Kennedy said, includes a 2026 hiring plan targeted at high-need roles—physicians, nurses, behavioral health professionals, dentists and support staff—and efforts to streamline recruitment and retention.
On facility needs, Kennedy said he reviewed a construction backlog he estimated at about $8,000,000,000 and pledged to direct $1,000,000,000 in existing departmental resources starting in fiscal year 2027 and spread over subsequent years to projects that are ready to move forward. He said funds would be prioritized for facilities with the greatest workforce and infrastructure needs.
Kennedy also discussed prevention and nutrition, noting HHS and the U.S. Department of Agriculture had released updated Dietary Guidelines for Americans and that the department would work to translate and adapt those guidelines for tribal communities; IHS staff provided a contact for tribes interested in coordination (nicole.adams@ihs.gov). He emphasized support for tribal-led food sovereignty projects—restoring fisheries, expanding bison herds and building local greenhouses—and said HHS would work with USDA, Interior and the Bureau of Land Management to reduce administrative barriers.
On behavioral health and addiction, Kennedy said IHS and partner agencies are expanding access to treatment and recovery services, increasing behavioral health staffing, supporting sober housing, and funding culturally grounded programs designed and operated by tribes.
Kennedy repeatedly framed tribal sovereignty and tribal leadership as central to program success and asked tribes to identify concrete actions they wanted the department to achieve during his term. He did not announce any formal rulemaking, statutory changes, or funding appropriations that require congressional approval; the pledges described were departmental directives and program priorities announced at the event.
The remarks were delivered during an HHS-produced event that included recognition of tribal advisory groups and urban Indian organizations. No formal votes or binding tribal agreements were recorded at the event; the secretary characterized the commitments as departmental plans and invitations to tribal partners to help implement them.
