Robert Kennedy Jr.

Lawmakers Seem Unlikely To Back RFK's $16 Billion Cuts to HHS

As Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defends his HHS budget, the modest cuts suggest shrinking government isn’t his real priority.

Reem Ibrahim | 4.23.2026 5:05 PM

Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL Add Reason to Google

Media Contact & Reprint Requests

(Abaca Press/Douliery Olivier/Abaca/Sipa USA/Newscom)

Over the last week, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been defending his proposed budget for FY 2027 on Capitol Hill. Most lawmakers aren't happy. 

The budget seeks to cut HHS' spending by 12.5 percent, or $15.8 billion, from FY 2026 levels. The largest named programmatic reduction is for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which would see a $5 billion cut in spending (though its budget would still be roughly $41 billion), reducing the number of institutes and centers from 27 to 22. The proposed budget also calls for the elimination of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, saving $4 billion, and consolidating several health offices into a new Administration for a Healthy America (AHA), which the HHS says will save $5 billion.

Kennedy defended this reorganization by telling the Senate Health, Labor, and Pensions Committee on Wednesday that when he came into office,........

© Reason.com