RFK Jr. reportedly planning to gut Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy office

Washington DC - Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is reportedly preparing to gut a major agency within his department amid President Donald Trump's continued aggressive shrinking of the government.

A recent report claims that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is preparing to lay off the Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy.
A recent report claims that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is preparing to lay off the Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy.  © Andrew Harnik / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

According to CBS News, multiple federal health officials claimed the department is preparing to lay off the entire staff of the Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy (OIDP).

The OIDP oversees a number of plans and initiatives focused on the prevention and control of infectious diseases, such as the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and the Sexually Transmitted Infections National Strategic Plan.

The agency also oversees campaigns related to the creation and distribution of vaccines.

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The cut appears to be part of Kennedy and the Trump administration's recent restructuring of the department, which is expected to result in thousands of cut jobs as several agencies are dissolved into one newly created Administration for a Healthy America (AHA).

Kennedy, a well-known anti-vaxxer prior to being appointed to lead HHS, vowed not to get rid of vaccines while he was being grilled for the job.

Getting rid of agencies such as the OIDP has raised concerns about how the country will handle an infectious disease problem, as Kennedy and the Trump administration have not laid out how AHA and its leadership will function.

Cover photo: Andrew Harnik / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

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