RFK Jrs Healthy Again agenda begins with massive health dept layoffs
BreitbartMAR 17
US Health and Human Services Cuts 10,000 Additional Jobs in Major Restructuring
Above: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C. on March 24, 2025. Image copyright: Samuel Corum/Contributor/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Spin
Republican narrative
RFK Jr. is not gutting HHS or putting Americans' health at risk. Over the last four years, the Biden administration increased funding by almost 40% and staff by almost 20%, yet Americans' life expectancy went down, cancer rates went up significantly, and chronic disease remained the highest in the world. Simply throwing money at HHS and hiring more staff isn't the answer — streamlining this bloated agency and focusing on real, root-cause health issues is.
Democratic narrative
This move does threaten Americans' health, whether RFK Jr. believes it or not. HHS' responsible growth, including by the Biden administration, aimed to strengthen the CDC and FDA, but RFK Jr.'s workforce slash — especially the staggering 3,500 cuts at FDA alone — risks crippling drug safety and disease control. Life expectancy and cancer rose due to complex issues, not just bloat — an issue that requires a robust HHS, not an agency for RFK Jr. to recklessly dismantle.