Mathias Busekist
Documents reveals massive budget cut proposal for federal health agencies.
Others are reading now
The Trump administration is preparing a sweeping overhaul of federal health spending that would cut nearly one-third of the budget, dismantle dozens of programs, and consolidate key agencies under a new entity, according to an internal memo obtained by CNN.
Dated April 10, the document outlines a proposal from White House budget officials to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that aligns with President Donald Trump and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiative. While still subject to revisions, the plan could slash federal health spending by tens of billions annually.
Under the proposal, many existing HHS programs would be absorbed into the newly established Administration for a Healthy America (AHA), announced earlier this month amid mass layoffs.
Among the hardest-hit agencies is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which would see its budget cut by more than 40%.
Also read
The plan would eliminate the CDC’s global health center and several domestic programs, including those focused on chronic disease, HIV/AIDS prevention, gun violence, and minority health. Some functions would be absorbed into AHA, but others would be shut down entirely.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) would also face significant restructuring, with its budget cut by more than 40% and its 27 research institutes reduced to just eight. Key institutes such as the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute on Aging would remain, but others focusing on mental health, substance abuse, and childhood illnesses would be folded into five new umbrella institutes.
Rural health programs, including grants and medical residencies, would be scaled back or restructured. Some, like black lung clinics, would be relocated under AHA’s primary care department.
The budget proposal assumes reinstatement of a cap on indirect university payments for research, previously blocked in court, and introduces a salary cap for top NIH employees hired under Title 42—a provision used to recruit senior scientific experts, including former NIAID director Anthony Fauci.
Though NIH has long enjoyed bipartisan support, recent Republican proposals have called for structural reform, and the Trump plan could become a blueprint for broader GOP efforts to cut federal spending by as much as $1.5 trillion.
