RFK Jr. unveils major overhauls to HHS: A risky gamble or a new era for public health?

04/06/2025 / By Ava Grace

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unveiled sweeping changes, including a new CDC unit for vaccine injuries and a workforce reduction of 10,000 jobs.
The administration will prioritize investigating vaccine-related injuries, aiming for greater transparency and improved reporting systems to rebuild public trust.
HHS will cut 10,000 jobs across agencies like the FDA (3,500), CDC (2,400) and NIH (1,200) to reduce bureaucracy and inefficiency.
The department will merge 28 divisions into 15, reduce regional offices from 10 to five and create a new Administration for a Healthy America (AHA) to streamline operations.
Experts warn that job cuts could delay medical reviews and harm public health efforts, particularly in global health, HIV prevention and injury prevention programs.

In a bold move that has stirred both hope and controversy, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a sweeping overhaul of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Thursday, March 27.

This transformation includes the creation of a dedicated unit for vaccine injuries under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and a significant reduction in the federal health agency’s workforce by 10,000 jobs. The announcement, made during an interview with NewsNation‘s Chris Cuomo, marks a pivotal moment in the administration’s efforts to reshape the nation’s public health landscape.

Kennedy emphasized that the new CDC unit will be a “priority focus” for his administration. This unit, he added, will operate in tandem with the health secretary previously announced vaccine injury reporting system. This new system will be “more accurate than the existing Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System,” Kennedy claims.

The news of the new CDC vaccine injuries unit comes amid growing concerns from the public about vaccine safety and the increasing number of reported injuries. The decision to create this unit reflects the need for more transparency in reporting adverse events. (Related: RFK Jr. dismantles ideological HHS grants targeting “vaccine hesitancy” – signaling a new era of scientific integrity.)

Also included in the overhaul is a significant reduction of roughly 10,000 jobs to the HHS workforce. This downsizing is part of a larger effort to eliminate bureaucratic inefficiencies and reduce wasteful spending. The department currently employs 82,000 people, but this number will drop to 62,000 once the cuts are implemented.

The job reductions will be felt across various agencies, with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) losing 3,500 employees; the CDC shedding 2,400 positions; and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) seeing a decrease of 1,200 employees. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will experience a smaller reduction of about 300 workers.

“Over time, bureaucracies like HHS become wasteful and inefficient, even when most of their staff are dedicated and competent civil servants,” Kennedy said in defense of the job cuts. He expressed belief that these changes will ultimately benefit taxpayers and improve the department’s ability to serve the American public.

Kennedy also sets up new HHS unit in line with MAHA agenda

As part of the HHS restructuring, the department will consolidate its 28 divisions into 15 and cut its 10 regional offices to five. A new Administration for a Healthy America (AHA) will be created, a move that lines up with Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) agenda.

The new AHA combines offices that address addiction, toxic substances and occupational safety into one central unit – with the aim of streamlining operations and improving coordination across different areas of public health. The AHA will include the following agencies under the HHS:

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health
Health Resources and Services Administration
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (under the CDC)
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (under the CDC)

While the overhaul promises to bring about significant changes, it also raises concerns about the potential impact on public health. Critics argue that the job cuts could lead to delays in drug and medical device reviews, as well as missed deadlines. Moreover, they argue that the elimination of certain CDC divisions – such as those focused on global health, domestic HIV prevention and injury prevention – raise serious alarms.

Ultimately, the reorganization is designed to eliminate redundancies and ensure that resources are used more effectively. The HHS overhaul represents a dramatic shift in the way the federal government approaches public health.

Watch Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. discussing how toxins in food are linked to anxiety and depression.

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