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Investigate RFK Jr.’s $12M Minority Health Funds Transfer
HHS told Congress it was moving about $12 million from the Office of Minority Health to help pay for RFK Jr.’s security.
Now the department says the office’s cuts had nothing to do with his protection. The Senate must demand the records and find out what happened.
The Wall Street Journal reports that HHS informed congressional appropriators of the planned move earlier this year. Kennedy’s security costs reportedly rose from roughly $10 million in fiscal year 2025 to $17 million in fiscal year 2026.
HHS says cuts to the Office of Minority Health reflect its program priorities, not Kennedy’s security needs. That explanation leaves a question: Did money from an office dedicated to reducing health disparities help pay his security bill? Congress should obtain the transfer documents, trace the money, and make its findings public.
The Office of Minority Health works to improve the health of racial and ethnic minority populations and American Indians and Alaska Natives. It supports chronic disease initiatives, shares health information, and helps train providers to serve people facing barriers to care.
If funds meant for that work helped pay for Kennedy’s protection, the public deserves to know which programs were affected.
Kennedy’s security needs do not give HHS a pass on explaining its budget. Senator Shelley Moore Capito chairs the subcommittee responsible for examining HHS funding. She and her colleagues can demand the documents, question HHS officials in public, and press to return any minority health funds used for security.
That investigation should begin now, before Congress settles HHS’s next full-year budget.
Thanks for all that you do,
Matt from the Swarm