RFK Jr. Oversees HHS Restructuring -- 20,000 Jobs Cut, CDC and NIH Gutted, "Defend the Spend" Initiative Paralyzes Health Funding

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. oversaw a reduction of HHS from 82,000 to approximately 62,000 employees -- a 24% cut. Divisions were reduced from 28 to 15. Up to 90% of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) staff were told to expect cuts, and CDC faced up to 30% staff reduction. HHS terminated billions in grants to state and local health agencies, including substance abuse prevention, pandemic prevention research, and mental health support. DOGE launched a "Defend the Spend" initiative requiring manual review and approval of every federal health-care grant -- paralyzing payments to tens of thousands of organizations. IRS estimated more than $500 billion in revenue loss due to "DOGE-driven" IRS cuts.