On March 27, 2025, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it would be undergoing a significant workforce reduction alongside a number of additional administrative and organizational changes. HHS plans to terminate an additional 10,000 full-time employees, which would ultimately reduce HHS to 62,000 full-time employees from a pre-Trump Administration level of 82,000. Of the 10,000 employees, 3,500 will come from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 1,400 will come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1,200 will come from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and 300 will come from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). According to HHS, this reduction will reduce spending by $1.8 billion per year.

HHS also announced plans to consolidate its 28 divisions into 15 divisions and reduce the number of regional offices from 10 to 5. Notably, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) will all be consolidated into a new division, the Administration for a Healthy America (AHA). Additionally, the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) will be moved within the CDC, and programs from the Administration for Community Living (ACL) will be moved under the Administration for Children and Families, the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), and CMS.

Impact on General Dentistry: The AGD has regularly worked with several of the agencies impacted by this reduction and restructuring, including CMS and HRSA. We will continue to monitor the impact of these changes, particularly with regard to the availability and coordination of public health resources including oral health programs.