Kennedy Vows Tribal Health Focus Amid Cuts in Key Programs/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made tribal health a top priority, but Native leaders are questioning his sincerity after the Healthy Tribes program was gutted during federal layoffs. The $32.5 million initiative supported chronic disease prevention using traditional Native practices. Leaders warn the cuts violate the U.S. government’s trust responsibility to tribal nations.
Tribal Health Program Cut Amid RFK Jr.’s Promises: Quick Looks
- RFK Jr. visited tribal communities in Arizona and New Mexico, pledging to combat chronic disease.
- Healthy Tribes, a CDC program providing $32.5 million annually, was quietly dismantled in federal layoffs.
- The program used traditional medicine, Native foods, and cultural health practices to combat diabetes and liver disease.
- Tribal leaders call the cuts a violation of the federal trust obligation to Indigenous nations.
- Staff across 11 program roles were eliminated, and tribes say communication with CDC has ceased.
- Kennedy made no public mention of the cuts during his Southwest tribal visits.
- Layoffs also impacted NIH and tribal-focused federal health offices, prompting legal and political backlash.
- Native health leaders warn this move could be part of a broader attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
- The federal government is legally obligated to consult with tribes on decisions that affect them—leaders say that didn’t happen.
- Some tribal officials say Kennedy privately expressed support but offered no clear path forward or plan to replace lost funding.
Kennedy Vows Tribal Health Focus Amid Cuts in Key Programs
Deep Look
CHANDLER, Ariz. — During a week-long tour through Native communities in Arizona and New Mexico, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pledged support for addressing chronic illness among Native Americans. But many tribal leaders are alarmed that a major program designed to do just that—Healthy Tribes—has been quietly dismantled.
The $32.5 million-per-year program, run through the CDC and focused on combating diabetes, liver disease, and other chronic conditions using traditional Indigenous health practices, was gutted earlier this month as part of sweeping federal layoffs under the Trump administration.
“So many layers of communications, collaboration, and partnerships have just been turned off,” said Onawa Miller, a citizen of the Quechan Indian Nation and director of tribal public health at United South and Eastern Tribes.
A Sudden and Mysterious Silence
An April 1 email from a CDC staffer notified tribal partners that numerous positions in the Healthy Tribes program had been eliminated. According to the union representing CDC workers, at least 11 Healthy Tribes staffers lost their jobs, with more cuts in the CDC’s Division of Population Health.
Tribal organizations were stunned. Dr. Julianna Reece, director of Healthy Tribes and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, was placed on administrative leave. An automatic email response indicated she would be “separated from the agency” by June 2.
“If you can’t administer the dollars, how are you going to actually get them out to the programs?” asked Esther Lucero, president of the Seattle Indian Health Board.
Cuts Raise Fears of Broken Promises
Tribal leaders say the program’s elimination contradicts Kennedy’s public statements. On his Southwest tour, Kennedy visited tribal health centers, moderated a panel at the Tribal Self-Governance Conference, and hiked with Navajo Nation leadership. Yet he did not address Healthy Tribes publicly or take questions from the press or tribal leaders.
“It is a violation of trust, without a doubt,” said W. Ron Allen, chairman of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe in Washington.
Allen added that he spoke with Kennedy privately and urged him to redirect federal health resources away from D.C. and toward tribal communities, especially in light of Indian Health Service (IHS) underfunding.
DEI Backlash or Budget Cuts? Tribes Seek Clarity
Some tribal officials suspect the move is part of the Trump administration’s broad rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. Others cite a lack of consultation or transparency as a breach of the federal trust responsibility, which legally binds the U.S. government to support tribal nations.
“There are policymakers who see tribes as a threat rather than a partner,” said Lycia Ortega, interim CEO of United American Indian Involvement and a citizen of the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe.
Traditional Healing Programs in Limbo
The Seattle Indian Health Board used Healthy Tribes funding to support GATHER, a culturally grounded program integrating traditional medicine, plant-based healing, and elder wisdom into clinical care. But with communication cut off and uncertainty looming, its future is unclear.
In Los Angeles, Healthy Tribes dollars support intergenerational community-building between Native youth and elders, a vital cultural connection many tribes fear will be lost without clear federal support.
“With this current administration, it’s almost like every day we receive an unexpected notice,” said Lucero. “Then we get a follow-up that says… ‘Move forward as usual.’”
Leaders Demand Accountability
While the Department of Health and Human Services told AP that IHS was not affected by the layoffs, they did not provide specifics about Healthy Tribes or whether there’s a plan to replace it.
Stephen Roe Lewis, governor of the Gila River Indian Community, said he urged Kennedy to recognize that tribal services are based on political status, not race, and therefore should not be lumped in with DEI targets.
“I made it very clear: We are not DEI,” Lewis said. “We are tribal nations. We have a treaty and political relationship with the federal government.”
You must Register or Login to post a comment.