Importance Score: 85 / 100 🟢
A significant government shakeup is underway in the United States under the current administration, marked by recent layoffs at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Following earlier reductions to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a “restructuring” effort intended to streamline operations and enhance efficiency within the department.
Secretary Kennedy stated that the HHS had become “wasteful and inefficient” over time, a common issue in large bureaucracies. He conveyed via the department’s website his belief that this “overhaul” would benefit both taxpayers and the American public served by the HHS, emphasizing the ultimate goal of improving national health.
This report details the scope of the workforce reduction at the Health and Human Services Department.
We are streamlining HHS to make our agency more efficient and more effective. We will eliminate an entire alphabet soup of departments, while preserving their core functions by merging them into a new organization called the Administration for a Healthy America or AHA. This… pic.twitter.com/BlQWUpK3u7
— Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) March 27, 2025
HHS Workforce Size Prior to Restructuring
According to the Department of Health and Human Services website, the agency previously employed 82,000 full-time individuals.
Scale of HHS Job Reductions
News sources indicate that while 10,000 employees have already departed the HHS voluntarily, a total of 20,000 positions are slated for elimination as part of the current restructuring. The HHS has publicly stated that this downsizing initiative will reduce its workforce from 82,000 to 62,000 full-time employees.
Rationale Behind HHS Workforce Restructuring
The HHS explained that these workforce reductions are intended to achieve multiple objectives without negatively affecting essential services. A primary aim is to achieve annual savings of $1.8 billion for taxpayers through decreased personnel costs.
Secretary Kennedy elaborated, stating, “This is not merely about cutting bureaucratic excess. We are fundamentally realigning the organization to better focus on its core mission and our renewed priorities centered on reversing the chronic disease crisis.”
He further asserted, “This restructured department will accomplish more – significantly more – while operating at a reduced cost to the American taxpayer.”
Key Aspects of the HHS Reorganization
The HHS also plans to eliminate what it describes as “numerous redundant units.” The existing organizational structure of 28 divisions will be consolidated into 15. This revised structure will include a newly established “Administration for a Healthy America,” or AHA, and will centralize essential support functions such as:
- Human Resources
- Information Technology
- Procurement
- External Affairs
- Policy
Furthermore, this restructuring initiative is integral to implementing the HHS’s “new priority”: combating “America’s epidemic of chronic illness.” This will be achieved by prioritizing safe and healthy food, clean water access, and the reduction of environmental pollutants, as detailed on the department’s website.