Senators say HHS cuts imperil Indian Health Services
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President Donald Trump, left, and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at the White House on May 5. Photo: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A bipartisan group of senators warned Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Tuesday that cuts to the federal health care workforce are threatening Native Americans and other beneficiaries of Indian Health Services care.
Why it matters: HHS is obligated to provide health care to American Indians and Alaska Natives — serving about 2.8 million Americans from a population that experiences disproportionate disease burdens, Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) wrote.
State of play: Indian Health Services staff have been exempted from some cuts and hiring freezes since the start of the Trump administration, but the loss of other employees who assist with the agency's core functions has only made long-standing clinical staffing shortages worse, the senators say.
- HHS has also failed to consult properly with tribal governments on agency changes, damaging the federal-tribal relationship.
- In particular, HHS doesn't seem to have queried about tribal needs or consulted on service priorities when it reassigned senior agency officials to Indian Health Services positions in Alaska, Montana, and Oklahoma last month, per the lawmakers.
What they're saying: "The loss of administrative infrastructure for payroll, assignments, and special pays will disrupt healthcare delivery in remote Tribal communities," the letter says.
- "In short, all these positions are imperative to delivery of wrap around health care services to American Indian and Alaska Natives, and staffing cuts, hiring freezes, and staff buyouts are exacerbating the already chronic problem of understaffing at IHS."
- Specifically, losing civilian staff in the U.S. Public Health Service is jeopardizing the work of 1,200 officers at IHS and tribal facilities, the letter adds.
The senators requested that Kennedy meet with Senate Appropriations Committee and Senate Committee on Indian Affairs staff on the issue.
The other side: HHS told Axios that Kennedy is committed to prioritizing tribal health and IHS and noted that the department was not impacted by workforce reductions.
- "To address staffing needs and support the IHS in fulfilling its mission, HHS has invited certain individuals to consider positions within the IHS. These invitations are voluntary, and individuals have the option to accept or decline," a spokesperson said in an email.
Zoom out: Staffing confusion remains a constant at HHS after last month's mass firings. About 200 National Institutes of Health employees received layoff notices on Tuesday after being kept on during the initial staff cuts, per CBS News.
- The most recent cuts included employees on the National Cancer Institute's communications team.
- The top Food and Drug Administration official overseeing food and drug safety inspections also announced his resignation on Monday after reportedly telling colleagues in private that he's been upset following cuts to the inspection workforce, CBS also reported.
