Health and Human Services

The federal department of Health and Human Services is the home to many programs that support the well-being of children, as well as the various programs and funding streams that make up the child welfare system.

The Administration of Children and Families (ACF) is the hub for many child well-being and related programs, including the Children's Bureau, which focuses on programs that reduce child abuse and neglect, increase the number of adoptions, and strengthen foster care. Much of their role includes administering funding, grants, and technical assistance to states, and collecting data, to ensure that funds are used appropriately.

In July 2025, HHS formally rescinded a 1998 interpretation of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) under which states included some children and adults with undocumented or temporary immigration status as recipients of services that receive funding from the federal government. It confirms that non-profit charitable organizations are not required to verify immigration status. But it did not provide details on how verification of status might occur. Of particular importance for child welfare are the inclusion on this list of:

• Title IV-E Educational and Training Voucher Program
• Title IV-E Kinship Guardianship Assistance Program
• Title IV-E Prevention Services Program
• And many programs aimed at substance use disorder prevention, homelessness prevention, community mental health services, CBHC's, Head Start, and other services that support families who are at risk of child welfare system involvement.
• A more detailed explanation can be found here (National Immigration Law Center)

In April 2025, the Trump Administration began consolidating offices, closing regional offices, and laying off workers from HHS, threatening the continuation of program implementation and flow of funds to states and local communities for vital human services.

Included in these cuts are:

• 500 staff from the ACF, as well as closure of five Regional Offices including Region 1 (Boston). These regional offices provide technical assistance for agencies administering ACF, including child welfare, child care, and Head Start services. Oversight of these regions is reassigned to the remaining regional offices.
• All staff from the office that administers the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG), a flexible grant program that states use for a variety of programmatic supports for children and families. As the agency website describes: "Through the SSBG, states provide essential social services that help achieve a myriad of goals to reduce dependency and promote self-sufficiency; protect children and adults from neglect, abuse, and exploitation..."
  • The elimination of SSBG is included in the House Budget Committee’s list of spending reforms for reconciliation, as well; this move by the Administration further jeopardizes the future of this important program that provides $910 million for child welfare services.
• Other cuts to HHS/ACF include:
  • Office of Regional Operations eliminated.
  • Office of Family Assistance- Division of State Policy, Budget Team both eliminated, which manages TANF.
  • Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) team mostly eliminated
  • Children’s Bureau- Division of State Systems eliminated
  • Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) - Policy Team eliminated
  • Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE): expect a 50% cut to its contract budget overall; OPRE holds the contract for managing the Prevention Services Clearinghouse launched by the Family First Prevention Services Act.
  • Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Bureau of Maternal and Child Health (includes the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program)

HHS also announced in February that it was rescinding agency policy of public commenting on most rulemaking. We are deeply concerned about the effect of cutting off public insight and data to the rulemaking process at HHS.

Take Action

CLM is encouraging members to sign on to this letter to urge Congressional leadership to protect the Social Services Block Grant.

Medicaid and SNAP Data-Sharing: What Advocates Need to Know (6/17/2025, Protecting Immigrant Families/National Immigration Law Center)

Recent News and Resources

• Trump HHS cuts office that sets poverty levels tied to benefits for 80M people (CBS News, 4/11/2025)
• RFK Jr.’s staff cuts leave health workers scrambling (Politico, 4/4/2025)
• Letter from the Senate Finance Committee Minority Members to Secretary Kennedy Regarding HHS Cuts (4/1/2025)
• Sweeping Federal Worker Layoffs Threaten Jobs, Services, and Local Economies in Massachusetts (Mass Budget & Policy Center, 4/2/2025)
• Mass layoffs rattle Head Start leaders already on edge over funding problems (AP News, 4/2/2025)
• HHS layoffs cut deep swath through health infrastructure (Roll Call, 4/1/2025)
• HHS begins laying off 10,000 employees (Axios, 4/1/2025)
• Fact Sheet: HHS’ Transformation to Make America Healthy Again (U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, 3/27/2025)
• Alex Adams Nominated to Lead Administration for Children and Families (The Imprint 3/25/2025)
• HHS Rescinds Longstanding Policy Requiring Notice of Certain Regulatory and Policy Changes (Explainer from Arnold & Porter Law Firm, 3/4/2025)