Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has repeatedly pledged to protect and improve health services for Native Americans — whether speaking during his late-January Senate confirmation hearing or an April trip to Arizona, where he met with tribal leaders.

In some ways, he has.

When layoffs were set to hit the Indian Health Service — the federal agency responsible for providing health care to Native Americans and Alaska Natives — Kennedy’s department rescinded the actions hours later.

In April, while visiting Arizona’s Navajo Nation, Kennedy told KFF Health News he was making sure broader budget cuts and layoffs at HHS do not affect Native American communities.

But tribal leaders expressed skepticism. They said they’ve already seen fallout from the sweeping reorganization across federal health agencies. Public health data is incomplete and agency communication has become less reliable. Tribes have also lost at least $6 million in grants from other HHS agencies, according to a letter the National Indian Health Board sent to Kennedy in May.

“There may be a misconception among some of the administration that Indian Country is only impacted by changes to the Indian Health Service,” said Liz Malerba, a tribal policy expert and citizen of the Mohegan Tribe. “That’s simply not true.”

Native Americans face higher rates of chronic diseases and die younger than other populations. Those inequities stem from centuries of systemic discrimination. The Indian Health Service has been chronically underfunded and understaffed, leading to gaps in care.

Janet Alkire, chairperson of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in the Dakotas, said during a May Senate hearing that the canceled grants paid for community health workers, vaccinations, data modernization, and other public health efforts.

Other programs — including ones aimed at Native American youth interested in science and medicine and increasing access to healthy foods — were slashed after the government said they violated the Trump administration’s ban on “diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

Native leaders and organizations have requested tribal consultation, a legal process required when federal agencies consider changes that would affect tribal nations. Alkire and other tribal leaders at the Senate committee hearing said federal officials had not responded.

“This is not just a moral question of what we owe Native people,” Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) said at the hearing. “It is also a question of the law.”

North Tower Opens At Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla : The first cries of a newborn echoed through the halls as the $664 million North Tower at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla opened Sunday morning. Scripps La Jolla now has 495 licensed inpatient beds as well as an additional 36 neonatal intensive care beds licensed to Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego. Read more from Times of San Diego .

Mental Health Phone Line In Jeopardy : As California grapples with a $12 billion budget deficit, the California Peer Run Warm Line that provides free 24/7 mental health support to thousands of residents could face deep funding cuts, or even a shutdown. The service, which is intended for non-emergencies, receives an average of 20,000 calls, texts and chats a month. Read more from CalMatters .

KFF Health News’ ‘What the Health?’ Podcast: Live From AHCJ: Shock And Awe In Federal Health Policy This episode was taped live on Friday, May 30, at the annual conference of the Association of Health Care Journalists in Los Angeles. Host Julie Rovner moderated a panel featuring Rachel Nuzum, senior vice president for policy at The Commonwealth Fund; Berenice Núñez Constant, senior vice president of government relations and civic engagement at AltaMed Health Services; and Anish Mahajan, chief deputy director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. The panelists discussed the national, state, and local implications of funding cuts made over the first 100 days of the second Trump administration and the potential fallout of reductions that have been proposed but not yet implemented. The panelists also took questions from health reporters in the audience. (6/2)

Politico: White House Insists Medicaid Policy Won’t Cut People Who Deserve It The White House plans to confront resistance to Medicaid cuts from Senate Republicans by arguing that any reductions in coverage would only affect people who didn’t deserve it in the first place. A strong bloc of Republicans in the Senate has signaled that they are uncomfortable with Medicaid reductions in the sweeping tax-and-spending bill enacted last month by the House. President Donald Trump’s advisers are determined to confront those concerns by claiming that cuts would chiefly target undocumented immigrants and able-bodied people who should not be on Medicaid. (Cancryn and Traylor, 6/2)

NBC News: Republicans Face New Pressure To Extend Expiring Obamacare Tax Credits A new coalition called Keep Americans Covered is seeking to dial up pressure on lawmakers to continue the funding, launching a new ad in a seven-figure campaign. It features a woman named Jessica, a restaurant manager in Arizona whose daughter has a chronic illness. She says the ACA tax credits “have been particularly helpful for our family” to help afford the coverage they need. “We need Congress to take action now. It’s vital for us,” she says in the ad. “We need these health care tax credits passed today.” (Kapur, 6/2)

The Washington Post: Shhh. Republicans Are Trying To Repeal Obamacare Again. Sort Of Congressional Republicans are pursuing changes to the Affordable Care Act that would mean 10.7 million fewer Americans using its insurance marketplaces and Medicaid, a huge reduction that some view as a way to accomplish part of the health-care coverage cancellation that failed in 2017. They’re not branding it a repeal of President Barack Obama’s signature health care law this time around, and this year’s effort wouldn’t erase its marketplaces or Medicaid expansion. (Winfield Cunningham, 6/2)

Trump Administration

Los Angeles Blade: DOJ Launches Investigation Into Calif. Trans Student-Athlete Policy

One day after President Donald Trump threatened to strip California of “large scale federal funding” over its policy on transgender student-athletes, his Justice Department announced it is investigating the state for potentially violating Title IX.“ The investigation is to determine whether California, its senior legal, educational, and athletic organizations, and the school district are engaging in a pattern or practice of discrimination on the basis of sex,” the DOJ said in a statement. (Ennis, 6/2)

MedPage Today: Health Groups Concerned About Cuts In Trump’s Proposed 2026 Budget

Healthcare groups and policy experts expressed concern about cuts included in the Trump administration’s full budget proposal for fiscal year 2026, which was released on Friday. “For the past 50 years, every significant medical breakthrough, especially in the treatment of cancer, has been linked to sustained federal investment in research at NIH and NCI [National Cancer Institute]. This commitment has contributed to the remarkable statistic of over 18 million cancer survivors currently living in the U.S. today,” the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network said in a statement. (Frieden, 6/2)

Fierce Healthcare: Unpacking The RFK Jr.-Backed 25% HHS Budget Cut

A recent budget document prepared by the White House is giving new clarity over how the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) could operate for fiscal year 2026. The document closely mirrored other budgetary insights from earlier this year. Under the wishes of President Donald Trump’s staff, the department’s discretionary budget would be nearly $95 billion, a $32 billion decrease amounting to a one-fourth slashing. (Tong, 6/2)

California Healthline: Trump Administration Is Ending Multiple HIV Vaccine Studies, Scientists And Officials Say

The cuts will shutter two major HIV vaccine research efforts, and a National Institutes of Health senior official said the agency has been instructed not to issue any more HIV vaccine research funding in the next fiscal year, with few exceptions. (Gounder and Tin, 6/3)

The Hill: FBI Seeks Tips On Gender-Affirming Care For Minors

The FBI is urging people to report health care providers who may be assisting transgender minors with gender-affirming care, as part of the Trump administration’s mission to “protect children.” “As the Attorney General has made clear, we will protect our children and hold accountable those who mutilate them under the guise of gender-affirming care,” the FBI’s official account wrote on the social platform X on Monday, urging followers to “report tips of any hospitals, clinics or practitioners performing these surgical procedures on children” to its phone and web tip lines. (Crisp, 6/2)

California Healthline: Native Americans Hurt By Federal Health Cuts, Despite RFK Jr.’s Promises Of Protection

The Indian Health Service was mostly spared in the federal government’s widespread staffing cuts, but tribal governments and organizations have lost funding elsewhere in the melee of federal health agency cuts. (Houghton, Orozco Rodriguez and Zionts, 6/3)

Military.Com: Veterans With Mental Health Conditions Face Challenges Getting Care Outside VA, Study Finds

Veterans with mental health disorders consistently rated their experiences with private care as less satisfactory than those without a mental health condition — a finding that indicates a need for better care coordination by the Department of Veterans Affairs, according to new research. VA researchers examined survey results of 231,869 veterans who received VA-covered medical services from non-government providers and found that those with mental health conditions expressed lower satisfaction rates across nine categories than veterans without a mental health diagnosis. (Kime, 6/2)

Lawmakers Vow to Restore Tribal Healthcare Protections Cut by Trump Administration

Tags

Details By Elyse Wild June 07, 2025

House lawmakers from both parties pledged Thursday to restore advance appropriations for the Indian Health Service after the Trump administration proposed eliminating the funding mechanism that protects tribal healthcare during government shutdowns.

The Trump administration’s fiscal 2026 budget request includes $8.1 billion for IHS, but removes advance appropriations for fiscal 2027 — the first time since 2023 that the protection has been excluded from a budget proposal.

Never miss Indian Country’s biggest stories and breaking news. Sign up to get our reporting sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning.

“We didn’t get here to give it up,” said Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and an enrolled citizen of Chickasaw Nation. “We will be retaining advanced appropriations.”

The bipartisan commitment came during a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing where lawmakers questioned IHS Acting Director Benjamin Smith about the agency’s ability to meet federal trust obligations to 2.8 million American Indians and Alaska Natives it serves through 650 hospitals and clinics.

While the budget appears to provide a substantial funding increase, Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), said that most of the additional money covers court-mandated contract support costs, leaving actual healthcare services funding essentially flat-funded.

Cole started the hearing by noting that while the IHS budget has increased over the years, it continues to fall short of the healthcare system’s needs.

“The funding does not begin to meet the full need, but it’s a step in the right direction,” Cole said.

IHS has long struggled with underfunding and a 30% staff vacancy rate. The National Tribal Budget Formulation Workgroup, which includes 12 tribal representatives from IHS service areas, recommended a $63 billion funding level for the agency in fiscal 2026 — nearly eight times the proposed budget.

Broad Health Cuts Raise Concerns

Tribal leaders, health advocates, and some lawmakers have raised concerns about hiring freezes and reduced healthcare budgets, further straining the underfunded IHS. The Department of Health and Human Services has faced the most cuts of any federal agency, with a budget reduction of 26% since Trump took office in January 2025.

Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) cited cuts to the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration.

“I am deeply troubled by this administration’s dismantling of programs and research that tribal nations rely on to ensure the well-being of their communities,” Pingree said.

Infrastructure Needs Ignored

Lawmakers raised concerns about the proposed 87% reduction in sanitation facilities construction funding, despite a $4.7 billion backlog needed to address basic water and sewage systems in Native communities.

“This proposed cut is out of touch with reality,” Pingree, the ranking Democrat on the subcommittee, said.

Tribal Self-Governance Expands

The hearing veered into tribal self-governance in healthcare. Cole pointed to certain tribes, like the Choctaw Nation and the Cherokee Nation, that augment IHS appropriations with tribal economic development dollars to finance their own health systems.

Smith said 60% of the IHS appropriation is now tribally managed and operated through the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act. “It’s tribally driven and it’s a tribal choice,” he said.

Rep. Celeste Malloy (R-Utah), who also serves on the Natural Resources Committee, referred to an April field hearing on tribal issues in Oklahoma, where she heard directly from tribal members about tribally run healthcare systems.

“It was obvious talking to tribal members how proud they are of the services that they’re providing for their own people,” Malloy said.

Overhead Questions Persist

Rep. Michael Simpson (R-Idaho), chair of the subcommittee, asked Smith about the agency’s overhead, stating that he has heard from tribes that they would prefer direct appropriations for healthcare.

“Their feeling is that too much comes off the top, and they would get more if we direct appropriately,” Simpson said.

Food Insecurity Addressed

The hearing also addressed food insecurity, which affects about 1 in 4 Native Americans compared to 1 in 9 Americans overall. Pingree inquired about the IHS’s Produce Prescription Pilot Program, which received $2.5 million in the fiscal year 2025 for five tribal communities to increase access to fruits, vegetables, and traditional foods.

“Food is very sacred to tribal communities, and it aligns perfectly with the Indian Health Service mission in the four components of physical, mental, social and spiritual health,” Smith said.

Pingree asked Smith if given more funding in 2026, how many more tribal communities could participate.

“I don’t want to guesstimate if additional funds come in; there would be a lot of interest, and we would be ready to expand the program,” Smith said.

Health Disparities Highlighted

Rep. Jake Ellzey (R-Texas) focused his inquiry on the socioeconomic factors that converge in Native people having a life expectancy of 65 — more than 10 years less than that of White Americans.

“Life expectancy depends on hope and opportunity and jobs and good food. Otherwise, you’re going to be unhealthy, and then what we end up doing is having to spend more money on IHS to treat the problems that we know already exist,” he said.

Ellzey zeroed in on the high rates of sexual violence faced by Native women and the limited amount of rape kits available at IHS facilities.

Smith acknowledged gaps in system-wide coverage, noting the funding for rape kits comes from domestic violence prevention program grants.

Staffing Challenges Continue

The persistent staffing shortages at IHS were a recurring theme. Smith highlighted the agency’s expanded scholarship program as a key solution to attract new healthcare professionals to work in tribal communities.

However, lawmakers pointed to the conflict between IHS staffing needs and the federal hiring freeze implemented by Trump during his first days in office.

“The IHS already faces an enduring staff shortage,” full committee ranking member Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) said. “It’s shameful that under the guise of eliminating waste, fraud and abuse, the administration is targeting the largest health care provider for Native Americans and Alaskan Natives.”

More Stories Like This

Public Health

Traveling Internationally? The CDC Suggests Getting A Measles Vaccine

Other public health news is on a dip in the rate of childhood MMR vaccinations over the past five years; an increase in pertussis cases; a Salmonella outbreak linked to cucumbers; and more.

NBC News: Warning Of Overseas Outbreaks, CDC Urges Americans To Get The Measles Vaccine Before Traveling Abroad

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging Americans to make sure they’re protected against measles before traveling to other countries this summer. Last week, the agency updated its travel guidance for the virus as cases pop up nationwide. Nearly all exposures at airports are linked to international travel. That includes six cases linked to a Turkish Airlines flight that landed at Denver International Airport on May 13. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said that four of the patients had been on the plane. (Edwards, 6/2)

ABC News: Most US Counties Saw Decline In Childhood MMR Vaccination Rates: Report

Most counties in the United States have seen a decline in childhood measles, mumps and rubella vaccination rates over the last five years, according to a new report published Monday. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University looked at data from 2,066 counties across 33 states between 2019 and 2024. They found that 78% of the counties, or 1,614, reported a decrease in vaccination rates over that period. What’s more, the average vaccination rate fell from 93.92% pre-pandemic to 91.26% post-pandemic, according to the report. This represents a decline of about 3%. (Kekatos and Pakanati, 6/2)

CIDRAP: PAHO Warns Of Pertussis Rises, Vaccination Gaps In Americas Countries

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) on May 31 issued an epidemiological alert about a rise in pertussis cases in a number of countries in the Americas, which comes in the wake of a sustained decline in pertussis vaccine coverage that gained traction during the COVID-19 pandemic period. The average global pertussis case total declined sharply during the pandemic, reaching a historical low in 2021. Since then, cases have been on a steady rise. (Schnirring, 6/2)

Outbreaks —

CIDRAP: Colorado Confirms 3 More Infections In Airport-Linked Measles Outbreak

The Colorado Department of Public Health (CDPH) and their partners in El Paso and Arapahoe counties have reported three more measles cases linked to exposure at Denver International Airport and on a Turkish Airlines flight, raising the outbreak total to six. In a statement, the CDPH said the three new cases include two unrelated unvaccinated adults from El Paso County who were at the airport around the same time on May 14. (Schnirring, 6/2)

CIDRAP: Multistate Salmonella Outbreak Linked To Cucumbers Grows

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said a multistate Salmonella outbreak linked to whole cucumbers has grown from 26 to 45 cases in the past 2 weeks. Three more states are now affected in the outbreak, raising the number of states reporting cases to 18. Illnesses started on dates ranging from April 2 to May 10, 2025. The investigation is ongoing. (Soucheray, 6/2)

On cannabis, e-cigarettes, and THC —

The New York Times: Health Risks From Cannabis May Grow As Users Age

Thirty-nine states and the District of Columbia now allow cannabis use for medical reasons, and in 24 of those states, as well as Washington, recreational use is also legal. As older adults’ use climbs, “the benefits are still unclear,” Dr. Han said. “But we’re seeing more evidence of potential harms.” A wave of recent research points to reasons for concern for older users, with cannabis-related emergency room visits and hospitalizations rising, and a Canadian study finding an association between such acute care and subsequent dementia. (Span, 6/2)

MedPage Today: Health Warnings On E-Cigarettes May Improve Perception Of Risks

Words that cautioned about the health effects of e-cigarettes increased beliefs in the harms associated with these tobacco products, a meta-analysis showed, supporting additional warnings beyond nicotine addiction. Text-only warnings of the health effects were associated with increased beliefs about the harm and addictiveness of e-cigarettes, an increased intention to quit, and other measures of risk perception versus control conditions, Seth Noar, PhD, of the Hussman School of Journalism and Media at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and colleagues reported in JAMA Internal Medicine. (Phend, 6/2)

The Texas Tribune: Texas Governor Pressured To Sign — Or Veto — THC Ban

Gov. Greg Abbott is facing intense political pressure over a bill that would ban products containing tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, as hemp industry leaders mount a full-court press urging the governor to veto the measure while Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and his allies urge Abbott to sign it into law. The issue has sparked backlash from both sides of the aisle, including from conservatives ordinarily supportive of Patrick’s hardline agenda. An April statewide survey by the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin found that 55% of Republicans believe Texas’ marijuana and cannabis laws should be less strict or left as they are now, compared to 40% who said they should be stricter. (Scherer and Serrano, 6/2)

Also —

AP: More At-Home Health Tests Are Now Available. How To Know What’s Right For You

The doctor is in — the mailbox, that is. You can now do self-administered tests for everything from thyroid function to HIV in the privacy of your own home — and that list continues to grow, as the Food and Drug Administration recently approved the first at-home cervical cancer test. While the tests can make it easier for people to access health care and can be helpful for those who have extreme anxiety about sensitive or invasive medical exams, experts warn that most of the tests cannot replace an actual in-person visit. (Bose, 6/2)

TUESDAY, May 27, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Dozens of staff at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) walked out of a recent town hall meeting after Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya suggested the agency may have helped fund research that caused the COVID-19 pandemic.

The protest happened roughly 27 minutes into the meeting, held at NIH headquarters in Bethesda, Md.

In a video obtained by CNN, Bhattacharya is shown telling staff that, based on his review of scientific evidence and public opinion polling, he believed COVID may have started due to research funded, in part, by the NIH.

“It’s possible that the pandemic was caused by research conducted by human beings,” Bhattacharya said. “And it’s also possible that the NIH partly sponsored that research. And if that’s true — ”

At that point, dozens of NIH employees walked out. Bhattacharya called the walkout “silent dissent” and continued on with the meeting.

Many of the protestors, according to CNN, were postdoctoral researchers and members of the NIH union.

They said the walkout was planned, though the timing was moved up after Bhattacharya’s controversial comments.

“We were trying to use this walkout as a way to get a sit-down meeting with Dr. Bhattacharya,” Matt Manion, a postdoctoral researcher, said.

He and others described worsening work conditions under the Trump administration.

Staff said their research has been disrupted by reductions in purchasing staff, the firing and rehiring of colleagues and the specter of a 40% cut to the NIH budget.

Kaitlyn Hajdarovic, another researcher, told CNN union members had been trying to meet with Bhattacharya to discuss issues “that prevented us from doing our jobs and research.”

Further, some staff were also upset about a new policy that bars grant recipients from sharing funding with foreign collaborators — a move they say could hurt research and future pandemic prevention.

The White House’s proposed 2026 budget cites NIH funding of research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology as a reason for a nearly $18 billion budget cut. President Donald Trump has said he believes the COVID virus originated there.

“Whether or not you agree with the theory, foreign subawards support research to prevent the next pandemic,” one scientist said anonymously. “Canceling them all at once with little to no warning is asking for another pandemic.”

At the town hall, Bhattacharya also addressed controversial topics like diversity, equity and inclusion, also known as DEI, in research.

He said he supported studies on issues like redlining, or racial discrimination in housing and lending practices, and access to care, but questioned research that claimed, without clear proof, that structural racism causes poor health outcomes.

Tension grew when an audience member challenged him directly, CNN reported.

Bhattacharya acknowledged later that he took office the same day 1,200 NIH staff were laid off.

“I actually don’t have any transparency in how those decisions were made,” he said. “And I was quite upset about that. It would be nice to have had some say.”

He also mentioned ending a requirement imposed by Elon Musk, then a senior adviser to Trump, for scientists to send weekly emails listing five accomplishments from the week.

“That was ridiculous,” he said, to a round of applause. “I’m really flat proud that we don’t have to have some of the best scientists in the world tell me what they did last week with five points. That made no sense.”

A week after the town hall, union members said they had not yet heard back from Bhattacharya’s office to schedule a meeting.

More information

Learn more about the role of the National Institutes of Health.

SOURCE: CNN, May 26, 2025

Copyright © 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.