Significant staff reductions at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have led to job losses within programs crucial for seniors, individuals with disabilities and low-income families.
The layoffs, particularly impacting the Administration for Community Living (ACL), have created uncertainty about the future of essential services, including Meals on Wheels.
“We aren’t just reducing bureaucratic sprawl. We are realigning the organization with its core mission and our new priorities in reversing the chronic disease epidemic,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said in the press release. “This Department will do more—a lot more—at a lower cost to the taxpayer.”
The Trump administration has embarked on a drastic reduction of the federal workforce. HHS confirmed it has terminated 10,000 staff through a Reduction-in-Force (RIF), with another 10,000 expected to leave through early retirement or buyout schemes. The goal is to downsize the agency to 62,000 employees.
Former ACL Director Alison Barkoff says approximately 40% of the agency’s staff received layoff notices. ACL, which coordinates federal policy on aging and disability, funds programs that support senior centers and distribute 216 million meals annually through Meals on Wheels.
“There’s no way to have these RIFs and not impact the programs and the people who rely on them,” Barkoff said.
“Although at this time, we have not seen a direct impact on the Meals on Wheels program, based on the limited resources available and the growing demand for services, we are having to scale back in the months to come,” said Katherine Rupp, director of marketing and communications for Interfaith Ministries which sponsors Meals on Wheels.
Needed services
Rupp says the Meals on Wheels program is much more than providing meals.
“Our assessors and drivers offer assistance to our seniors with day-to-day needs related to health care, accessing resources and benefits, staying connected and addressing any individual issues they may have.” she said.
HHS previously announced that ACL’s responsibilities would be redistributed within the department. However, this follows the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 proposal, which suggested ACL take on special education services after the potential dismantling of the Department of Education. The current plan for these responsibilities remains unclear.
Additionally, the entire staff of the Division of Energy Assistance was laid off, according to former employees Andrew Germain and Vikki Pretlow. This division administers the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which assists 5.9 million low-income households with heating and cooling costs and energy efficiency improvements.
“Ultimately, I believe the program will crumble from within without the federal office there to manage it,’ said former Fiscal Director Andrew Germain. “You’re talking about individuals who rely on crisis assistance… to keep the power on, whether for a medical reason or some other potentially life-threatening purpose.”
Concerns have been raised about LIHEAP’s future, as funding is set to expire in September, coinciding with the onset of winter heating needs. Germain, who oversaw compliance monitoring, expressed uncertainty about the program’s continuation without federal oversight. He also addressed past scrutiny from Project 2025, which had pointed out a now-corrected “loophole” related to SNAP benefits. Congress allocated $4.1 billion to LIHEAP for the 2024 fiscal year.
A path forward
Rupp adds that while the public funding is critical for the survival of several programs, they will have to make an appeal to the community so the program doesn’t suffer.
“We need the support of our community – individuals, corporations and local entities. Currently, Interfaith Ministries (IM) is supplementing the cost of this program by 30% and if there are additional cuts, IM will not be able to sustain the current level of operation, nor accommodate the over 500 seniors who are currently on a waiting list.”
