Kennedy’s deep HHS cuts threaten HIV/AIDS response

The sudden dismissal of public records staff at health agencies threatens government accountability

Mass layoffs at the Department of Health and Human Services are continuing as the agency makes good on its intention, announced on March 27, 2025, to shrink its workforce by 20,000 people. Among workers dismissed in early April were several teams responsible for fulfilling requests for access to previously unreleased government data, information and records under a federal law known as the Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA. At the Centers for …

RFK Jr.'s Health Job Cuts Are Hitting the Disabled

Hi, this is Gerry in New York, where I’ve been monitoring fallout from Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s health care job cuts. More on that in a moment, but first ...

On CT HIV/AIDS awareness day, federal funding cut concerns loom

Advocates and state officials gathered on the steps of the state Capitol on a warm spring Tuesday to commemorate Connecticut’s 25th annual HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. The event — part celebration, part memoriam, part commitment to continue fighting —  occurred against the backdrop of federal cuts that advocates say threaten to reverse decades of progress in the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS.   HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, attacks the…

Department of Health and Human Services layoffs hit senior services hard

Significant staff reductions at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have led to job losses within programs crucial for seniors, individuals with disabilities and low-income families. The layoffs, particularly impacting the Administration for Community Living (ACL), have created uncertainty about the future of essential services, including Meals on Wheels.“We aren’t just reducing bureaucratic sprawl. We are realigning the organizati…

Kennedy’s deep HHS cuts threaten HIV/AIDS response

In drastically cutting down its public health workforce, the Trump administration is potentially undoing decades of work combatting the HIV epidemic and delaying upcoming advances. When Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced plans to reduce his department’s staff by 20 percent, several divisions within the Centers for Disease Control and…

CDC job cuts threaten progress in reducing infant HIV transmissions

Protesters march in Atlanta against federal funding cuts, including those targeting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Saturday. (Rebecca Grapevine / Healthbeat)The sharp job cuts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention include a successful program reducing HIV transmission to babies. Over the past 30 years, the number of infant HIV cases has fallen dramatically.Research published by Margaret Lampe, a CDC epidemiologist,…