HHS Job Cuts and Weakening of Health Agencies Put Americans’ Health and Safety at Risk
Statement of Yolonda C. Richardson, President and CEO, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and Global Health Advocacy Incubator
March 28, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As an organization committed to improving public health, we are deeply concerned about the massive job cuts and other changes announced this week by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. These actions greatly undermine the nation’s public health infrastructure and put the health and safety of Americans at risk. They weaken front-line agencies like the FDA, the CDC and SAMHSA that are critical to protecting Americans from preventable health threats including tobacco use, chronic diseases like cancer and heart disease, drug overdose, infectious disease outbreaks and much more.
President Trump and Secretary Kennedy have repeatedly stressed the need to reduce chronic disease and protect children’s health. While we await more details about how particular agencies and programs will be impacted, we fear the proposed changes will leave HHS less equipped to address these challenges. In particular, cuts to the FDA and the CDC could undermine efforts to protect kids and save lives from tobacco use, which is the nation’s leading cause of preventable death and a primary driver of chronic disease. Smoking is the top cause of cancer deaths in the U.S., responsible for about 30% of all cancer deaths, and is also a major cause of other chronic diseases including heart disease, stroke, COPD and diabetes. In addition, e-cigarettes continue to expose kids to massive doses of highly addictive nicotine, which can harm developing brains, and can also expose kids to other harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde, lead and benzene. The fight against tobacco must remain a priority if our nation is to succeed in tackling the chronic disease epidemic and protecting the health of our kids.
We urge the Administration to reconsider these cuts and changes to HHS, which will not make America healthier, safer or stronger. We also urge Congress to exercise its oversight responsibility to review these actions and to ensure that the nation’s public health infrastructure is properly funded and staffed.