The Trump administration is eyeing about $40 billion in cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services’s budget next year, according to a memo obtained by The New York Times, as the White House charges ahead with plans for drastic changes to the agencies that regulate food and drugs, protect Americans from disease and research new treatments.
The proposed cuts laid out in the preliminary budget memo would reduce the department’s budget from about $121 billion to about $80.4 billion. The document also proposes eliminating dozens of programs focused on various public health challenges, such as autism, teen pregnancy, lead poisoning, opioid recovery and support for rural hospitals. The memo was first reported by The Washington Post.