Healthcare Associations Speak Out Against White House’s Plan for Massive HHS Cuts
Opposition to the proposed 26-percent cuts to the budget for the Department of Health and Human Services, is becoming more organized this week, in the wake of the announcement by the Trump administration on May 5 that it was seeking massive cuts to the fiscal-year 2026 federal budget, focused on HHS.
As Healthcare Innovation reported on that date, “On May 2, the White House, through its Office of Management and Budget, released its proposed 2026 budget, and it includes huge cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services. As Reuters’ Ahmed Aboulenein wrote on Friday afternoon, ‘The White House wants to reduce U.S. health spending by more than a quarter next year, with the National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention facing the brunt of billions of dollars in cuts. President Donald Trump's administration on Friday proposed a $163 billion cut to the federal budget that would sharply reduce spending in areas including health, education, and housing next year, while increasing outlays for defense and border security.’ Indeed, Aboulenein wrote, ‘The proposed budget requests $93.8 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services - a cut of $33.3 billion, or 26.2 percent—from this year's budget of $127 billion.’” What’s more, OMB is calling for 40-percent cuts to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Institutes of Health (NIH), and a 25-percent cut to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
On May 2, the Washington, D.C.-based Families USA released a statement attributed to Anthony Wright, the organization’s executive director, that began thus: “President Trump’s budget is so draconian and extreme that even some of his allies in Congress can’t support it, and rightly so. President Trump’s budget is just another example of this administration taking a chainsaw to our nation’s health system – these cuts would be devastating not just for the remaining heroic public servants responsible for protecting our health, but would also undermine and even dismantle core functions of our nation’s services to provide coverage and care and overall public health for the American people.”
Further, Wright stated, “This budget attacks science and research to find effective medical treatments, public health preparedness and ability to manage outbreaks, programs that serve pregnant women, moms and babies, and critical education and training to support health care providers in meeting the health needs of our nation’s families. This budget proposal carries forward the Trump administration’s relentless effort to decentralize and weaken our public health and health care infrastructure, shifting the burden of costs on to states that are already dealing with significant budget shortfalls, much caused by this administration’s reckless funding freezes and cuts. Coupled with Republican Congressional proposals that would decimate coverage and access to care, this budget would catapult states into a health and fiscal crisis.” Wright urged Americans to “rally against this budget and the administration’s anti-health agenda, including the reckless budget reconciliation plans being proposed in Congress over the next few weeks.”
Then on May 5, leaders at the Washington, D.C.-based American Public Health Association (APHA), through their advocacy initiative For Our Health, released a statement that began thus: “For Our Health, condemns the Trump Administration’s FY2026 discretionary budget request as a profound threat to the nation’s health. This so-called ‘skinny’ budget, released in advance of the full detailed budget expected in the coming weeks, is a mockery of decades of U.S. global leadership in public health, health sciences, research, and scientific progress; it’s a dangerous roadmap for dismantling America’s health services and infrastructure and abandoning our responsibility to protect lives here at home and around the world.”
The statement continued thus: “The proposed cuts would devastate vital federal agencies across government, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Education, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Especially alarming are the deep cuts across the Department of Health and Human Services, which threaten the core health services and infrastructure responsible for protecting lives every day.”
And it listed four key points that it said would be devastating:
Ø The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would lose core programs that prevent chronic diseases, protect environmental health, reduce injuries, and prepare for deadly outbreaks.
Ø The National Institutes of Health (NIH) would eliminate entire research areas focused on health disparities, global health, and social and environmental factors that shape health outcomes.
Ø The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) would face deep cuts to maternal and child health programs, mental health services, and efforts to build and sustain the public health workforce.
Ø The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) would be eliminated as a standalone agency, stripping vital health systems research that helps improve access, quality, and efficiency across the healthcare system.
For Our Health went on to state that, “If enacted, these cuts would leave our nation deeply exposed. Without federal leadership and resources, our ability to prevent disease, respond to crises, and address growing health inequities will be severely diminished. This proposal leaves all communities more vulnerable, stripping away national support and forcing states and communities to confront growing threats alone. Those already under-resourced will face even steeper challenges, further deepening existing divides. Without CDC’s national data and expertise, states will be left without the essential tools and support required to track health threats and respond effectively.”
As the AHPA explained, “Operating as an initiative of the American Public Health Association (www.apha.org), For Our Health (www.forourhealth.org) brings together prominent experts and senior leaders in public health, health care, health sciences. and social services to speak in support of public health and against policies that undermine evidence-based health initiatives, weaken scientific institutions, and endanger public health protections.”
IDSA speaks out
Adding to the outcry were the leaders of the Washington, D.C.-based Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), whose membership represents leaders in infectious disease medicine nationwide. Tina Tan, M.D., IDSA’s president stated that “Risks of serious infectious diseases are increasing, making now the time to invest in prevention, new treatments and a highly trained health care workforce. States are unable to compensate for the significant shortfalls the president’s budget will create, and funding losses will exacerbate physician shortages, limit access to care, curtail our ability to prevent outbreaks overseas before they reach our shores and decimate our ability to deliver lifesaving cures for generations to come,” Dr. Tan stated. “While funding for some crucial activities, such as emerging infectious diseases surveillance, is maintained, virtually all areas of health are likely to be impacted by such massive cuts to foundational infrastructure. The Infectious Diseases Society of America urges Congress to reject these devastating proposed cuts and instead safeguard the well-being of the American people.”
AAMC decries cuts
Meanwhile, leaders at the Washington, D.C.-based Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) released a statement on May 2, attributed to Danielle Turnipseed, J.D., the association’s chief public policy officer. “If enacted, the preview of the president’s budget request released today would yield to cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and other health threats facing Americans by dismantling federal support for medical research, public health, and health professions education that keeps the country healthy. Retreating on health issues where we have made progress and where so many depend on their government to offer promising cures is not the American way,” she said.
Further, Turnipseed stated, “The stunningly impractical proposed cut to the National Institutes of Health is incongruent with decades of bipartisan support for investment in biomedical research funded by the agency. This commitment has made the United States the world leader in medical advancements that not only have helped all Americans remain healthy but also generated economic development in communities nationwide.”
Turnipseed added that “This budget proposal would gut the nation’s biomedical research infrastructure and cede leadership in the field to global competitors like China. If the administration and congressional leaders are truly focused on making America first, now is not the time to settle for anything less when it comes to our nation’s health. The American people deserve better, and recent polls demonstrate that they expect better from their government.”
This is a developing story. Healthcare Innovation will update readers as additional developments emerge.
