Trump expected to select RFK Jr. to lead HHS, Politico reports

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is expected to select Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Politico reported on Thursday, citing a person with direct knowledge of the matter.

Kennedy ran for president in this year’s election as an independent before dropping out in August and endorsing Trump in exchange for a role in the Republican’s administration.

“He’s going to help make America healthy again,” Trump said in his victory speech on Nov. 6. “He wants to do some things, and we’re going to let him get to it,” he said.

The Department of Health and Human Services oversees the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health and the massive Medicare and Medicaid Services programs, which provide health coverage for the poor, those aged 65 and older, and the disabled.

Medicaid and Medicare’s tens of millions of enrollees mean HHS had a $3.09 trillion budget for fiscal year 2024, representing 22.8% of the U.S. federal budget.

(Reporting by Jasper Ward; Editing by Eric Beech)