HHS folds SAMHSA into new agency amid ~25% workforce cut
Enacted5/10
⚖ Preliminary injunction (New York v. Kennedy, D.R.I., Jul 1, 2025) blocks the RIFs and restructuring; First Circuit denied stay Sep 17, 2025; appeal pending
Federal · HHS restructuring plan, Administration for a Healthy America · Mar 27, 2025
Impact 5/10
HHS announced on March 27, 2025 that it would fold SAMHSA, HRSA, OASH, ATSDR, and NIOSH into a new Administration for a Healthy America and cut the department's workforce from 82,000 to 62,000 employees, about 24 percent, disrupting mental health and substance use program administration. In New York v. Kennedy, a Rhode Island federal court issued a preliminary injunction on July 1, 2025 blocking the layoffs and restructuring as to the plaintiff states, and the First Circuit denied the government's stay request in September 2025. The appeal remains pending and much of the restructuring is on hold.
HealthcareGovernment & civil serviceLow-incomeRural residentsImmigrants
Sources
✓ Verified against primary sources 2026-08-16