Possible Shake-Ups at Departments of HHS and Agriculture

by | Jun 11, 2018

Last Updated November 29, 2022

reorganization

Long awaited reorganization plans for the federal government could be available later this month by the Office of Management and Budget. Among the biggest proposals within the plans is an effort to expand the Department of Health and Human Services to make them responsible for more public assistance programs—particularly the $70 billion food stamp program—currently under the Agriculture Department.

HHS is currently responsible for Medicare and Medicaid and it runs the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) cash assistance program. The plan argues that its more efficient for HHS to be responsible for more low-income assistance programs, rather than them being scattered across agencies. Right now, it looks like this:

  • HHS—TANF (traditional welfare), Medicaid (healthcare for the poor), and the Children’s Health Insurance Program
  • Treasury Department—Earned Income Tax Credit program—refundable tax credit through the income tax system
  • Housing and Urban Development—housing assistance programs through vouchers and provides payments to help lower-income individuals afford energy bills and weatherize their home
  • Agriculture Department—Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and child nutrition programs in schools and communities

As it is now, its tough for those in need to navigate this system that sprawls across multiple departments.

The Heritage Foundation’s own reorganization proposal also suggests programs that fund reduced-priced meals at public schools be shifted to HHS. The Foundation describes HHS as “the primary welfare department of the federal government”.

“The USDA has veered off of its mission by working extensively on issues unrelated to agriculture,” Heritage wrote. “This is mostly due to the nutrition programs. By moving this welfare function to HHS, the USDA will be better able to work on agriculture issues impacting all Americans.”

OMB Director Mick Mulvaney instructed agencies to submit plans to reorganize and reduce the size of the federal workforce. Those plans were supposed to be finalized in September 2017.

Message us & find out if you qualify today!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Recent Articles

Deferred Resignation FAQs: A Simple Guide for Federal Employees

Thinking about Deferred Resignation but not sure if it’s the right choice? You’re not alone – the decision can feel overwhelming, and we’ve been getting lots of questions about it. To make things easier, we’ve put together a simple Q&A with the answers you need to...

The Federal Employee’s Guide to New Executive Orders and Actions

Since his first day in office, President Trump has been signing executive orders, memos, and plans to reshape the federal workforce, all aimed at creating a more efficient government. So far, this has meant reducing the number of workers and updating old tech that...

How DOGE’s Push for Tech Upgrades Could Impact Your Federal Job

If you’ve been reading the news as the administration change takes place, you’ve probably seen that President Donald Trump has established The Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.   There are plenty of changes in the works under this agency, but its main...

Federal Employee Resources

Our ever growing library of federal employee resources give you the knowledge you need to make smart choices about your future.

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Get the answers you need on-demand, from a team of federal employee benefits professionals.

View FAQ
Webinars

Federal Benefit Webinars

Twice per month we host webinars to help federal employees better understand their benefits and answer their questions LIVE.

See Webinar Schedule
Guides

Benefit Guides

From guides to detailed charts, these educational resources will help clarify confusing federal employee benefits topics.

See our resources