According to American media, the video has looped all day in the various agencies of the US Ministry of Health. Early this Thursday, March 27, the approximately 82,000 civil servants of this Department of the American Federal Administration took note of a short speech by their manager, Robert Kennedy Jr., published on the social network X. Six minutes during which this antivax figure, appointed by Donald Trump, multiplies the criticisms against “the sprawling bureaucracy” of the services of his ministry and “half” of his agents “. With, above all, an ad: the reduction of a quarter of its workforce to save money.
In line with the budget cuts driven by Elon Musk via his department of government efficiency (DOGE), Robert Kennedy Jr. therefore enters a drastic decrease in the number of employees in several American health agencies. 20,000 people will have to leave their post, half of which will be directly dismissed. “A painful period” will open within the ministry, recognized “RFK Jr.”. “We will have to do more with less. No American will be left behind.”
From Maga to Maha
In detail, the number of national agencies will be lowered from 28 to 15 after this reform. Same racking concerning the offices in the regions, which will see half of them close, going from 10 to 5. “The Ministry of Health holds more than a hundred communication services, more than forty IT services, dozens of supply services and nine human resources services”, counted Robert Kennedy Jr. “Often, they do not even speak between them.” The specific positions of dismissed employees have not yet been announced, even if this kind of declaration can legitimately worry the officials playing in one of these branches.
To justify these important budget cuts, the Minister argues a new vision of the health system, “improving” its current operation. The whole thing, embodied by a slogan inspired by that of the American president: Maha, for “Make America Healthy Again” (“return to America his health”). How does he plan to get there? The proposals of Robert Kennedy Jr. remain vaporous, the latter simply pointing to promote a “healthy and safe diet, clean water and the elimination of environmental toxins”. Another objective put forward by the nephew of ex-president John F. Kennedy: the fight against chronic diseases, obesity and diabetes concerning more and more Americans.
Measles and avian flu
Other challenges are currently concern for American doctors and scientists. The resurgence of measles worries specialists. The disease has killed two people across the Atlantic, a first for ten years in the country. CDC (Centers for the control and prevention of diseases) take care in particular to carry out epidemiology measures to monitor the evolution of infectious diseases across the United States-for example measles.
Precious data to the public authorities, which allow them if necessary to adopt a strategy to fight against an epidemic. However, according to an information note communicated by the Ministry of Health, 2,400 staff positions will therefore be deleted in CDCs with this departure plan. But this synthesis promises it: “the fight against epidemics” will still be reinforced after these changes. “The situation is very difficult, and no one sees it clear,” summed up the Washington Post A CDC official, on condition of anonymity.
Another current health issue: the management of the avian flu epidemic, which ravages poultry populations in American farms. Faced with this problem, American supermarkets face an important egg shortage. The problem is such that Washington is pushed to… asking for the help of certain European countries to supply the shelves of its stores. Be that as it may, this economic problem is added to important considerations in public health. Could this H5N1 virus mutate and be transmitted to humans? All over the world, researchers are carrying out many works to try to anticipate any potential alert.
It is in this context that the Trump administration therefore also announces important budget cuts in several research bodies linked to the Ministry of Health. According to the same information note, 1,200 people should therefore lose their post in the National Institutes of Health, the equivalent of Inserm in France. The Food and Drug Administration, responsible for food security and control of vaccines and medicines, should lose 3,500 employees. Here again, the summary note promises that these measures “will not affect the examiners of drugs, medical devices or foods, or inspectors”.
Relatively spared, the CMS, the structures that manage the Medicare and the Medicaid, the American health insurance systems, will only be affected at 300 positions removed. The entire plan presented by Robert Kennedy Jr., a significant social impact, in reality represents only 0.1 % of the current total budget of the Ministry of Health. But the symbol of thousands of officials returned helps to highlight the action of a new proactive executive to save money. These measures are in line with the objective of dismissals already made in other ministries, such as those of the environment, education or veterans. In total, more than 100,000 civil servants have already been dismissed since the return to the White House of Donald Trump.