Key facts
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Health and Human Services Department has seen a surge in political appointees.
- HHS now has more political appointees than any other department, with 264 non-Senate confirmed hires.
- This increase comes as thousands of civil service jobs have been reduced.
- Political appointees have begun making decisions previously handled by career staff, including grant approvals and vaccine guidance.
- Former employees and advocates express concern over the shift away from merit-based civil service.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Health and Human Services Department has significantly increased its reliance on political appointees, a trend that is raising alarms among civil service advocates and long-time employees. The department has hired 264 non-Senate-confirmed political appointees, the highest number since at least 1996, and more than any other federal department. This surge in political hires comes as thousands of civil service jobs have been reduced, and it allows political appointees to make decisions typically reserved for career staff, such as canceling research grants, blocking external communications, and altering vaccine guidance.
Jennifer Troyer, a former director at the National Human Genome Research Institute, resigned after nearly 25 years due to an executive order granting political appointees power to approve grants. She expressed disappointment that the NIH leadership had not "stand[s] up for the importance of NIH as a bastion of scientific progress free from political influence." HHS press secretary Emily Hilliard defended the changes, stating they reflect the mandate voters gave for a "change in direction" and that prior industry experience brings valuable knowledge. An HHS official noted that political appointees constitute less than 0.5 percent of the department's nearly 73,000 employees.
Many of the political appointees have close ties to the industries they are meant to regulate, including former lobbyists for insurers and pharmaceutical companies. Some appointees also hold views aligned with Kennedy's more controversial health perspectives. This influx of political hires occurs after a broader government staffing reduction. The changes have contributed to a decline in employee engagement and satisfaction at HHS, with many career employees leaving the department due to perceived political interference and a hostile work environment.