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Trump Administration Proposes Drastic Cuts to HHS in 2026 Budget Draft

The preliminary plan outlines a $40 billion reduction, restructuring federal health programs and potentially eliminating key initiatives like Head Start and chronic disease prevention.

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FILE - Family Educator Lisa Benson-Nuyen, addresses her students in a circle in the Northern Lights classroom at the Meadow Lakes CCS Early Learning, a Head Start center, Monday, May 6, 2024, in Wasilla, Alaska. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)
FILE - A sign stands at an entrance to the main campus of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy, File)
FILE - Students help put away supplies at the end of a reading and writing lesson at the Head Start program run by Easterseals, an organization that gets about a third of its funding from the federal government, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)

Overview

  • The draft budget proposes slashing the Department of Health and Human Services' discretionary funding by one-third, reducing it from $121 billion to $80 billion.
  • The National Institutes of Health faces a 40% budget cut, consolidating its 27 institutes into eight, potentially halting critical research programs.
  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's budget would be reduced by 44%, eliminating chronic disease programs and domestic HIV initiatives.
  • Funding for the Head Start program, which supports early childhood education for low-income families, would be eliminated under the proposal.
  • A new $20 billion agency, the Administration for a Healthy America, would consolidate and replace several existing health programs, with a focus on federalism and cost reductions.