The White House released President Trump’s fiscal 2026 budget request on Friday, revealing plans to slash more than a quarter of discretionary funding allocated to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) a move that’s already causing anxiety and confusion among many American families, particularly those worried about their children’s education, health care, and future stability.
In a letter sent to Sen. Susan Collins, the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought outlined the dramatic funding changes being proposed. The administration is seeking to cut $33.3 billion in discretionary funds from HHS, representing a 26.2 percent reduction compared to the 2025 budget.
The proposal includes deep cuts across critical health institutions: a $3.6 billion reduction for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an $18 billion slash to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a $674 million cut from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Program Management, and $240 million from the Hospital Preparedness Program under the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR).
These sweeping cuts have sparked widespread concern among working families who depend on these programs for disease prevention, medical research, hospital readiness, and health care access. Many parents are now left wondering how this will affect their children’s access to affordable health care, vaccine availability, and long-term disease research especially for chronic or rare conditions.
In stark contrast to the reductions across public health infrastructure, the proposal boosts funding for one initiative: HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) Commission, which is allocated $500 million. According to the budget text, this commission will focus on improving nutrition, physical activity, and lifestyle habits while addressing concerns like overmedication, technology dependence, and environmental and food safety issues.
Vought defended the cuts by claiming they are the result of a detailed review of 2025 spending, which he argued was bloated with support for institutions “committed to radical gender and climate ideologies antithetical to the American way of life.”
However, critics argue the result of this “review” is a budget that destabilizes foundational public health protections and creates uncertainty for millions of Americans. Parents, in particular, fear these funding shifts will lead to under-resourced schools, hospitals, and public health systems, potentially compromising their children’s education and well-being. The proposals have already triggered a wave of calls to lawmakers, with advocacy groups warning that the long-term consequences could be severe if these cuts are enacted.