Tribal leaders thank Kennedy for halting IHS layoffs but say HHS cuts will worsen Native American health

Although Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said he cares deeply about Native American communities, the health of those communities is under severe threat because of massive cuts Kennedy is making to federal health services, U.S. senators and tribal leaders said at a hearing held Wednesday. 

Tribal leaders said that they appreciated that Kennedy had spared the Indian Health Service from layoffs that have rocked other parts of HHS but that cuts to other federal programs — including those that help prevent addiction, partner violence, and maternal mortality — were harming the health of Native Americans, who already face the nation’s lowest life expectancy, high rates of suicide, and many chronic diseases. 

Read the rest…