Trump Administration Plans Deep Cuts to Federal Health Budget

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The Trump administration is weighing a plan to cut nearly a third of the federal health budget and eliminate or consolidate dozens of programs.

An internal memo was sent from White House budget officials to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). It was dated April 10 and was obtained by CNN.

It contains a new strategy to reshape public health policy under President Donald Trump and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” vision.

If finalized, the plan would cut tens of billions of dollars from federal health spending and move many already existing agencies into a new department called the Administration for a Healthy America, CNN said.

One of the biggest changes would affect the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which would see its budget cut by more than 40%.

The proposal would shut down several CDC programs, including those focused on global health, chronic disease prevention, HIV/AIDS, gun violence, injury prevention and minority health.

Many employees from these programs were laid off April 1.

Rural health programs would also be affected. Some, such as grants for rural hospitals and residency programs, would be cut. Others, including black lung clinics, would move to the new AHA.

The plan also targets the National Institutes of Health (NIH), cutting its budget by more than 40% and consolidating its 27 research institutes into eight, CNN added.

While other major groups like the National Cancer Institute and National Institute on Aging would stay, others focused on mental health, childhood illnesses, disabilities and substance abuse would be merged into new entities.

The plan also assumes that a previous proposal to cap university payments for research support at 15% would also be in effect, even though a court blocked it. These payments help cover research costs at many universities.

A new salary cap would also be set for top NIH employees hired under Title 42, a hiring system used to hire top experts.

More information

Learn more about the Make America Healthy Again program.

SOURCE: CNN, April 17, 2025

Source: HealthDay

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