RFK Jr. to slash 10,000 jobs from Health and Human Services Department

The big picture: The restructuring is intended to streamline functions and cut costs from the nearly $2 trillion department, according to a press release announcing the cuts.

• It will also allow HHS to better implement its new priority of ending chronic illnesses "by focusing on safe, wholesome food, clean water, and the elimination of environmental toxins" — a reflection of Kennedy's "Make America Health Again" movement.
• The 10,000 planned job cuts come on top of the already roughly 10,000 employees who have opted to leave since President Trump began his second term, per the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news.

Zoom in: The cuts will reduce the HHS workforce by about a quarter, from 82,000 to 62,000 full-time employees.

• Efforts to streamline the department will include consolidating the 28 divisions of HHS into 15 divisions, including a new Administration for a Healthy America (AHA).
• It will also reduce the number of HHS regional offices from 10 to five.

What they're saying: "We will eliminate an entire alphabet soup of departments, while preserving their core functions," Kennedy said in an X post Thursday.

• "This overhaul will improve the health of the entire nation — to Make America Healthy Again," he added.

Zoom out: HHS is a nearly $2 trillion department that houses the nation's premier health agencies and dispenses nearly 25% of the federal budget.

• Agencies under the HHS umbrella approve new medications, conduct infectious disease research and contribute to other public health services.

Editor's note: This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.