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RFK Jr. diverted $12M from minority health office to fund security detail

HHS Secretary moved funds from Reagan-era agency addressing Black infant mortality to cover his growing protection costs.

newest coverage 21h agosummary written 19h ago7 pieces11 likes & upvotes MastodonRedditNewswires

What to know

  • Kennedy redirected $12 million from the Office of Minority Health—created by Reagan to address Black infant mortality—to cover his security detail.
  • His security costs surged 70 percent in one year, from $10 million in 2025 to $17 million in 2026, triggering the need for the funding transfer.
  • HHS defended the move as necessary due to Kennedy's unique security threats and extensive travel, not his personal needs.
  • Reddit commenters characterize the move as corruption within Trump's administration.
most voices

The diversion exemplifies corruption and represents a troubling misuse of federal health funding.

  • “So much for fighting corruption. Rfk jr and the rest of Trump administration just took it on another level.”

    AncientBee5348 · Reddit ↗

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.Robert F. Kennedy Jr. HHS SecretaryEmily Hilliard HHS spokeswoman

RFK Jr. diverted $12M from minority health office to fund security detail
newrepublic.com

How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articlespostscomments

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  1. 1

    HHS spokeswoman defends cuts as reflecting departmental priorities

    Emily Hilliard stated the cuts reflect HHS priorities and programmatic assessments, and attributed Kennedy's protection to a unique security environment, extensive travel, and threats he faces.

    “Secretary Kennedy faces a security environment that differs significantly from that of previous HHS secretaries. His protection reflects the threats he faces, his extensive travel, and the security required for him to safely carry out his duties nationwide.”
    — Emily Hilliard

    • So much for fighting corruption. Rfk jr and the rest of Trump administration just took it on another level.

      AncientBee5348r/politics21h agoview on r/politics ↗
    1 more of the top 2 · 2 posts in this stretch

    • taking millions from health agencies just to fund private security is a whole new level of wild corruption

      LittleEnvironment970r/politics21h agoview on r/politics ↗
    all of them →
  2. background

    Wall Street Journal reports Kennedy moved $12M from minority health office — The Journal revealed the funding diversion and the security cost spike, sourcing the information to internal HHS data.

  3. background

    HHS informs Congress of $12M diversion from Office of Minority Health — The department notified Congress earlier in 2026 that it would use $12 million from the Office of Minority Health—created by President Reagan to address higher Black infant mortality rates—to cover Kennedy's security costs.

  4. background

    RFK Jr. requests U.S. Marshals protection upon starting as HHS Secretary — Kennedy requested protection from the U.S. Marshals Service rather than accepting security from the Office of the Inspector General.

  5. background

    Kennedy's security costs rise from $10M to $17M annually — Security spending for the HHS Secretary increased 70 percent between 2025 and 2026.

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