Minnesota Head Start Association, MNHSA

09/18/2025

Check out MNHSA's Website updates!

Head Start is synonymous with building essential foundations for early childhood learning, but Head Start provides that and so much more, supporting locally designed programs in communities of all sizes that blend education, healthcare and community services for children and their families. In 2024,...

09/11/2025

National Head Start Awareness Month is approaching fast this October, and it’s our chance to shine a spotlight on the transformative work happening in our programs every single day.

The big picture: The dedication, passion, and life-changing impact we bring to children and families across our nation deserve recognition and celebration. To help you with promoting National Head Start Awareness Month, we have created social media messages for multiple social media channels. Stay tuned for graphics and additional messages by the end of the week.

04/28/2025

PROTECT OUR KIDS RALLY

04/28/2025

UNITED STATES SENATE
WASHINGTON, DC 20510
April 24, 2025

The Honorable Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Secretary
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C., 20201

Dear Secretary Kennedy:

We write to express our strong opposition to the actions you have taken to directly attack and undermine the federal Head Start program. Since day one, this Administration has taken unacceptable actions to withhold and delay funding, fire Head Start staff, and gut high-quality services for children. Already this year, this Administration has withheld almost $1 billion in federal grant funding from Head Start programs, a 37 percent decrease compared to the amount of funding awarded during the same period last year.(1) It is abundantly clear that these actions are part of a broader effort to ultimately eliminate the program altogether, as the Administration reportedly plans to do in its fiscal year 2026 budget proposal.(2)

Head Start provides early childhood education and comprehensive health and social services to nearly 800,000 young children every year in communities across this country, and employs about 250,000 dedicated staff.(3) Head Start is a critical source of child care for working families, particularly in rural and Tribal communities, where Head Start programs are often the only option for high-quality child care services. Head Start programs ensure children receive appropriate health and dental care, nutrition support, and referrals to other critical services for parents, such as job training, adult education, nutrition services, and housing support.

You even acknowledged(4) the value of Head Start following a recent visit to a Virginia Head Start center, where you said, “I had a very inspiring tour. I saw a devoted staff and a lot of happy children. They are getting the kind of education and socialization they need, and they are also getting a couple of meals a day.”

However, as a result of your actions to withhold and delay funding and undermine the administration of this vital program, Head Start centers are in serious jeopardy and have already had their day to day operations impacted. Programs are increasingly worried that they will not be able to make payroll, pay rent, and remain open to serve the hundreds of thousands of children and families who depend on their services in communities across the nation.

1 https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/minority/new-trump-admin-withholding-nearly-1-billion-infunding-for-head-startcrunching-centers-nationwide-and-forcing-devastating-closures
2 https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/04/16/hhs-budget-cut-trump/
3 https://headstart.gov/program-data/article/head-start-program-facts-fiscal-year-2023
4 https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/neighborhood-community-services/news/2025/rfk-hhs-0320a

Since the very start of this Administration, Head Start programs have been under attack. On January 27th, 2025, the Office of Management and Budget issued a memo (M-25-13) that suddenly froze the disbursement of grant funding for federal programs and services government- wide, including Head Start. Despite the Administration’s clarification that Head Start programs would not be the target of the funding freeze, many Head Start programs across the country were unable to draw down their grant funds through the Payment Management System (PMS) for weeks. At one point, the National Head Start Association reported 37 programs serving nearly 15,000 children across the country could not access their federal funding.(5) Head Start programs operate with thin margins and on short-term budgets from HHS, and without any communication from the Administration about the status of funding, programs were forced to temporarily close or to lay off staff. In Wisconsin, the National Centers for Learning Excellence, which serves more than 200 children and their families, shut down for a week and laid off staff due to the funding freeze.(6)

On April 1st, you abruptly closed(7) five of the ten regional offices that help local grantees administer Head Start programs in 22 states(8). This left hundreds of programs without dedicated points of contact to address mission critical issues like approving grant renewals and modifications, investigating child health and safety incidents, and providing training and technical assistance to ensure high-quality services for children. While some grantees were assigned a new program specialist, we understand many have not been receiving responses to their inquiries. This is on top of the estimated 97 Office of Head Start central office staff that were terminated due to their probationary status and the recent reduction in force. You promised “radical transparency” as Secretary, yet it is unclear how these actions will improve Head Start programs, and you and your staff refuse to respond to basic inquiries and requests for information.

5 https://www.npr.org/2025/02/08/nx-s1-5290249/stress-and-uncertainty-at-head-start-and-clinics-as-federalhealth- funding-system-sputters
6 https://apnews.com/article/head-start-blackouts-trump-6e7655e56c0b451092411e7fdd1def2e
7 https://apnews.com/article/head-start-office-closures-hhs-trump-00b1a6b33ef918cb66e59b7ffb07ac13
8 This action left programs in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Jersey, New York, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington without dedicated regional staff.

On March 14th, 2025, the Office of Head Start (OHS) notified all Head Start programs that “the use of federal funding for any training and technical assistance or other program expenditures that promote or take part in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives” will not be approved and that any questions should be directed to regional offices. Programs have not received any guidance for what would be considered “DEI” but this policy is potentially in direct conflict with statutory and regulatory program requirements, such as providing culturally and linguistically appropriate instructional services for English learners. Many programs cannot direct questions to regional staff, as half of regional offices were abruptly closed, and as unprecedented actions are being taken to delay and withhold funding, Head Start programs have been intentionally left with little to no guidance.

Head Start programs are now arbitrarily required to provide justifications for each draw down of funds that is necessary to operate their programs, despite already receiving a federal grant award for these purposes. As of April 14th, Head Start programs have reportedly received correspondence from an email address “[email protected]” requiring programs to submit a “specific description of why the funds are necessary and why they are aligned to the award” before programs can have funding disbursed. It has been reported that political appointees must sign off on every draw down of funds.(9) This creates an illusion of improving oversight but only serves to add unnecessary red tape by requiring the manual sign off on hundreds of thousands of individual actions annually across the Department based on two to three sentence justifications. Already some grantees have reported delays in receiving funds, and have reported that furloughs or closures are imminent if funds are not released. For an administration that purports to value local autonomy and efficiency in federally funded programs, your actions have achieved the exact opposite.

Finally, Head Start grantees are still waiting on payments and grant renewals from the Office of Head Start, including programs whose grants end on April 30th, 2025. These notices should have gone out by now, yet we are concerned to hear programs report they have received little to no correspondence regarding their grant renewals. Additionally, because we started fiscal year 2025 under a short-term continuing resolution, as is usual, some grantees have only received partial funding for the first few months of the year. But with a full year funding bill in place, these grantees should have received full funding by now, yet some are reporting that they have not received the full amount of their grants and will run out of funds this month or next. On Wednesday, April 16th, the delays in Head Start funding led to the closure of Head Start centers serving more than 400 children in Sunnyside, Washington.(10)

9 https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/04/17/doge-trump-grants-hhs-nih-backlog/
10 https://apnews.com/article/head-start-funding-preschool-child-care-closures-1f92fa98f320c7c14db63e69b986d11d

The Administration has a legal and moral obligation to disburse Head Start funds to programs and to uphold the program’s promise to provide high-quality early education services to low income children and families across this country. The fiscal year 2025 appropriations act provided $12.3 billion for Head Start, the same as the fiscal year 2024 level. The Head Start Act includes an explicit formula for how appropriated funds should be allocated. There is no justifiable reason for the delay in funding we have seen over the last two months, and you have refused to offer any kind of explanation. However, this week leaked fiscal year 2026 budget documents indicated the Office of Management and Budget was directing the Department, consistent with the Administration’s proposal to eliminate Head Start in fiscal year 2026, to “ensure to the extent allowable FY2025 funds are available to close out the program.” If this explains any of the delay in awarding fiscal year 2025 funding, we want to be clear, no funds were provided in fiscal year 2025 to “close out the program,” and it would be wholly unacceptable and likely illegal if the Department tries to carry out this directive.

Finally, the leaked budget documents provided a justification, albeit brief, for eliminating Head Start in fiscal year 2026 that makes this Administration’s priorities clear and puts the Department’s actions over the last several months in context. The Administration argues that eliminating Head Start, “is consistent with the Administration’s goals of returning education to the States and increasing parental choice.” It is shocking to see an argument that eliminating a program that provides comprehensive early childhood care and education to 800,000 children and their families would increase parental choice. It is particularly concerning to see that argument in the context of the significant delay in awarding fiscal year 2025 appropriated funds and what that indicates about the intent behind the Department’s actions. We believe it is

obvious that eliminating Head Start would be detrimental to hundreds of thousands of children and families. Similarly, we believe it is obvious that delaying funding like we have seen over the last two months, forcing Head Start programs to close, and leaving families to scramble to find quality, affordable alternatives puts the education and well-being of some of the most vulnerable young children in America at risk. In our view, that is unacceptable.

Therefore, we urge you to immediately reinstate fired staff across all Offices of Head Start, and cease all actions to delay the awarding and disbursement of funding to Head Start programs across this country.

Please provide us with a written response to the questions below no later than 10 days from receipt:

1. Will you reinstate the staff who administer Head Start programs and reopen the closed regional offices responsible for overseeing Head Start programs in 22 states?

a) When is HHS going to share information on the reorganization plan for the consolidation of the regional offices?

b) Please provide the contact information for each program specialist designated to the 22 states who lost their regional office.

c) Who is responsible for ensuring there are no delays or lapses in funding, nor any disruptions to Head Start program operations now that these states do not have a regional office?

2. How many employees at the Offices of Head Start have been terminated, including the five regional offices and the central office?

a) Which officials at HHS were involved in the staffing reduction decisions for OHS and what planning, if any, was undertaken prior to these reductions? Please describe the events that

unfolded and name each office that was involved in the decision. Further, please name the official(s) who approved the staffing reductions.

3. Can you confirm that the Administration will distribute all Head Start funds appropriated by Congress to Head Start programs in FY 25, as required by the Head Start Act?

4. Please provide a list of all grantees with 5-year Head Start grant renewals that start between now and the end of the fiscal year: May 1st, June 1st, July 1st, August 1st, and

September 1st.

a) Will any funding be delayed for grantees that are due to receive their annual funding on May 1st or beyond?

5. Why are funding awards delayed for grantees that received partial awards during the first continuing resolution for FY25?

a) When can HHS guarantee that all funds will be awarded for partially funded Head Start programs?

6. What is the “Tier 2” department for review that is delaying drawn down for Head Start programs in the Payment Management System?

a) When should programs expect to receive their funds?

b) Please provide all communication that went to Head Start grantees on the new review process.

7. What guidance and clarifications have been provided to Head Start grantees on DEI expenditures?

a) How is HHS evaluating Head Start programs’ expenditures and grant awards for DEI?

b) What justifications are being used to prohibit DEI?

Sincerely,

04/28/2025

Understanding the President’s Budget Request (PBR), Congressional Budget Resolution, Budget Reconciliation, and Appropriations

The President's Budget Request (PBR)
● Kicks off the annual federal budget process.
● Supposed to be released the first Monday in February, but
doesn’t always happen (like the first year of a new
administration)
● PBR plays 3 key roles:
○ It conveys the President’s budget priorities for overall fiscal
policy: how much money the federal government should
tax and spend (and relatedly, deficits or surpluses)
○ Specifics about spending priorities, program by program,
with lots of detail
○ Proposals to make changes to mandatory programs and
tax policy
■ Likely this year: extension of Trump tax cuts, block
granting Medicaid, and more

The Congressional Budget Resolution
● Congress’s own budget plan, drafted by House and Senate
Budget Committees
● It’s in effect when House and Senate pass the same measure;
it doesn’t get signed by the President.
● Can’t be filibustered.
● Sets top line target spending levels for committees (302(a)
levels) in broad categories, as well as how much revenue the
government should collect.
○ Appropriations committees get one 302(a) allocation
number, as do committees with mandatory programs
● It can also establish an expedited process for action on
mandatory spending and tax changes, known as
“reconciliation.”
● Timing: Supposed to pass by April 15 but often takes longer,
or not at all.
● Enforcement: A single member can raise a point of order
against legislation that violates the limits set in the budget
resolution. The House can get around it procedurally, but in
the Senate, it requires 60 votes to waive.
● If the House and Senate can’t agree on a budget resolution,
each chamber passes its own, called a “deeming resolution.”

The Budget Reconciliation Process
● Optional procedure to expedite consideration of spending and
tax legislation.
○ Senate rules for consideration of reconciliation bills
include: the filibuster is prohibited, debate is limited to 20
hours, and amendments are limited.
● To start reconciliation, the House and Senate must pass a
budget resolution that includes a “reconciliation directive” for
committees to meet certain spending or tax targets.
● Limited to spending changes in mandatory programs and tax
policy.
○ However, in 2021, additional funding for discretionary
programs was also included, bypassing appropriations
committees.
● Byrd Rule: Point of order against any provision that’s
"extraneous” to amending spending or tax law, making it
difficult to include policy changes that don’t have a direct
fiscal implication.
● The procedural advantages to budget reconciliation are huge,
and therefore Congress has increasingly used it to enact
major spending and tax changes. In recent decades, the most
likely reason for Congress to proceed with a budget
resolution at all is to trigger the reconciliation process; if a
reconciliation bill is not envisioned, Congress is likely to
forgo a budget resolution entirely.

Appropriations
● Once the budget resolution (or deeming resolution)
establishes the “top-line” or 302(a) number for the
appropriations committees, that top line number must be
divided up among the 12 appropriations subcommittees. This
allocation is called the 302(b) number.
● The appropriations process is for discretionary accounts, which
includes Head Start. Programs that receive mandatory
funding, like Medicaid, are not funded through annual
appropriations.
● The federal fiscal year starts on October 1. If – as has become
the norm over the past decade – appropriations bills are not
signed by then, the government must shut down. Continuing
Resolutions (CR) are used to keep the government opening
temporarily, usually at flat-funding levels, until a final
appropriations agreement can be made.

Source: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities explainer

No single piece of legislation establishes the annual federal budget. Rather, Congress makes spending and tax decisions through a variety of legislative actions in ways that have evolved over more than two centuries.

04/21/2025

We call on these Republicans to continue their support for Head Start

Head Start provides high-quality learning and care, nutrition, and medical services for young children whose families have incomes below poverty. This helps their parents to go to work, especially in rural areas where it may be the only child care option around.

Across the political spectrum, Members of Congress have long understood the important role Head Start plays in the lives of families with young children in their districts.

Below are quotes from Republican Members of Congress expressing support for Head Start and the impact it has on the communities they serve.
***“I had a very inspiring tour [of a Head Start program]. I saw a devoted staff and a lot of happy children. They are getting the kind of education and socialization they need, and they are also getting a couple of meals a day.” – Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
***“Head Start programs are instrumental in providing educational opportunities that help children cultivate new skills and prepare them for a lifetime of success.” – Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME)
***“I have been a strong supporter of Head Start throughout my time in Congress because I believe in the potential of every West Virginia child. By supporting programs that give our children the tools they need to be successful in the classroom and beyond, we can help ensure their future is filled with opportunity.” – Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV)
***“Education is one of the most important building blocks for success, and quality learning and development in the earliest years makes a world of difference in the lives of our children. I am grateful for the tools Head Start provides, ensuring all children can have a solid foundation for learning and thriving in school.” – Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK)
***“Access to a good education is one of the most important tools we can give our children. From health services to educational programs—Head Start provides critical assistance to many families across South and West Texas. Before being elected to Congress, I served on the San Antonio Head Start Policy Council to ensure our children have the resources they need to put their best foot forward in life.” – Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX)
***“Head Start programs have filled an important need in our communities by providing meals, health care screenings and pre-K education for children of low-income families. I’m encouraged to see these resources authorized through the CARES Act coming back to our communities to support the needs of local children during these challenging times.” – Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA)
***“The Lusk Head Start program promotes school readiness for our youngest students in Niobrara County. It was a delight to share a story with some of these bright kids today. These valuable programs help ensure children across Wyoming have the opportunity to succeed early in life.” – Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY)
***“My second visit for the day was a tour of the Charles City Head Start program. Thank you to all our rural child care providers for everything you do for our kids!” – Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA)
***“The expansion of Early Head Start in these seven counties will provide support for young children at a critical stage in their development. I supported the Institute of Community Services’ application for this funding. They have a long track record of providing comprehensive support services to Mississippi families in need.” — Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS)
***“Head Start programs across the state have been instrumental in improving children’s physical, social, and intellectual development. I’m pleased the Department of Health and Human Services is directing this significant funding to support Mississippi youths.” — Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS)
***“I’m honored to receive ’s PROMISE Award! Engaging with Head Start centers throughout the First District is always a highlight, and I am so grateful for all they do to responsibly invest in our youth.” – Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT)
***“I remember sitting around the dinner table with my mother and sharing tears of some of these tough stories of kids, but also the incredible changes of these kids. I’m a firm believer in Head Start.” – Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC)
***“The positive impacts of Head Start’s Services is clear. Head Start children make progress in language, literacy, and math, while also demonstrating significant gains in social-emotional and cognitive development. They are also more likely to receive health screenings, immunizations, and develop healthy lifestyle patterns…. We want to acknowledge Head Start’s critical role in addressing the needs of working families and children who have experienced trauma…” – Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA), then-Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK)
***“Education in the early years of a child’s life is important to putting them on the path to success, both in school and for the rest of their lives. I am pleased UAPB [Head Start] will continue to play an important role for so many young Arkansans.” – Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR)
***“One of the things I did as a member of the Congress was to make sure that we protected the Head Start programs around the country, giving people the opportunity to pick and choose the place that they send their children.” – Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC)
***“In total, Head Start programs are building a strong foundation for the future successes of more than 15,000 young Kentuckians. Supporting our children in their educational development from an early age is a top priority, and I am very pleased to see this much-needed funding going towards such an important cause.” – Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
***“Head Start provides important and valuable resources to help children succeed when they start school.” – Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
***“The SLU Head Start program, the teachers, and the staff truly give vulnerable children a head start.” – Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA)
***“Head Start is an important program for many Arkansas children. It was great to visit with advocates to hear their enthusiasm about its role and how we can continue to support learning, development and overall health in young kids.” – Sen. John Boozman (R-AR)
***“As a father and grandfather, I know how critical the early years of our children’s lives are to their development and education, These grants will help provide important resources to children and families in Jackson, Williamson, and Jefferson counties so that they can succeed in the classroom.” – Rep. Mike Bost (IL)
***“I have advocated for Head Start funding in Congress because I know it helps residents in mid and northern Michigan and I will continue to work across the aisle to support this important program.” – Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI)
***“Miami Valley Child Development Centers has been serving low-income children and families since the inception of Head Start, and I am glad that they have received these federal funds to continue as the Dayton area’s grantee for this essential program.” – Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH)
***“This is something that will benefit a large percentage of the population. We must place a greater focus at an early age on educating our next generation.” – Rep. James Comer (R-KY) [Note: Referencing a new Head Start building]
***“Head Start gives every child — regardless of circumstances at birth — a chance to succeed in school and in life.” – Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-PA)
***Last year, 33 House Republicans signed a letter to Appropriators in support of Head Start and calling for it to be funded “at the highest level the Subcommittee deems possible.”
-These include: Reps. Pete Stauber (R-MN), Kelly Armstrong (former R-ND), Jack Bergman (R-MI), Mike Bost (R-IL), Mike Carey (R-OH), Aumua Amata Coleman (R-AS), Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY), Neal Dunn (R-FL), Mike Ezell (R-MS), Brad Finstad (R-MN), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), Jenniffer Gonzales-Colon (former R-PR), Garret Graves (R-LA), Brett Guthrie (R-KY), Bill Huizenga (R-MI), Dusty Johnson (R-SD), Mike Kelly (R-PA), Nick LaLota (R-NY), Michael Lawler (R-NY), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), Dan Meuser (R-PA), Carol Miller (R-WV), Max Miller (R-OH), Marcus Molinaro (former R-NY), Zach Nunn (R-IA), John Rose (R-TN), Austin Scott (R-GA), Elise Stefanik (R-NY), GT Thompson (R-PA), Michael Turner (R-OH), Brad Wenstrup (former R-OH), Joe Wilson (R-SC).
*****“Someone needs to tell ACF/HHS that Head Start is NOT solely an education program, that it does not mandate curriculum or locations and provides parents more agency than anything out there! Having worked as President Trump’s OHS Director during his first term, I am really shocked at this news. Head Start is the American Dream in action. Please help us send a message to Congress to fully fund Head Start.” —Dr. Deborah Bergeron, director of the Office of Early Childhood Development (ECD) in the first Trump Administration

04/21/2025

Head Start advocates brace for possibility of Trump eliminating funding.

The Trump administration is considering eliminating funding for the Head Start program, which is dedicated to free early child care services — a move that one advocate says would be "catastrophic."

For full article, click the link:

A Trump administration document, cited by news reports, proposes eliminating funding for Head Start, which is dedicated to early child care services. An advocate says the move would be "catastrophic."

04/21/2025

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. during a news conference at the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. (Will Oliver/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)

HHS would be asked to absorb a $40 billion cut, about one-third of its discretionary budget.

By Lena H. Sun,Carolyn Y. Johnson, Rachel Roubein, Joel Achenbach and Lauren Weber

The Trump administration is seeking to deeply slash budgets for federal health programs, a roughly one-third cut in discretionary spending by the Department of Health and Human Services, according to a preliminary budget document obtained by The Washington Post.

The HHS budget draft, known as a “passback,” offers the first full look at the health and social service priorities of President Donald Trump’s Office of Management and Budget as it prepares to send his 2026 fiscal year budget request to Congress. It shows how the Trump administration plans to reshape the federal health agencies that oversee food and drug safety, manage the nation’s response to infectious-disease threats and drive biomedical research.

The 64-page document calls not only for cuts, but also a major shuffling and restructuring of health and human service agencies.

Agencies are allowed to appeal to HHS for changes but have been told they cannot change the bottom line, according to a federal health official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the negotiations.

While Congress often ignores the president’s budget request, this has not been a typical transition to a new administration. Trump and his allies in Congress have made clear they want to smash the status quo by drastically reducing the size of the federal government and scrubbing it of programs and research efforts seen as wasteful or contrary to administration priorities.

The administration already has downsized HHS by about one-fourth of its workforce, with about 20,000 imminent departures since Trump took office. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention staff who worked on programs to prevent drowning and gun violence, improve worker safety and test for sexually transmitted illnesses and hepatitis

National Institutes of Health staffers who specialize in managing scientific funding have been ordered to terminate contracts and cancel hundreds of grants that fund research on topics such as vaccine hesitancy, transgender health and covid.

HHS had a discretionary budget of about $121 billion in fiscal 2024, but under the Trump administration’s preliminary outline, it would see a decrease to $80 billion.

The proposed cuts are aimed at some of the prevention-focused health-care efforts HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said he wants to prioritize, said Anand Parekh, chief medical adviser at the Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington, D.C., think tank.

“These are the efforts that try to get ahead of health-care problems,” he said. “You can expect the costs of the Medicare and Medicaid program just to go up. That’s the shortsightedness of reducing the sliver of the budget that is discretionary when that is the main opportunity you have to reduce health burden in America and get ahead of health problems.”

Spokespeople for the White House and HHS did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The proposal would reduce the more than $47 billion budget of the NIH to $27 billion — a roughly 40 percent cut. It would consolidate NIH’s 27 institutes and centers into just eight. Some of its institutes and centers would be eliminated, including the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities and the National Institute of Nursing Research.

Many of NIH’s institutes would be fused. A National Institute on Body Systems, for example, would absorb three separate institutes: the institute focused on heart and lung diseases; the institute focused on diabetes, kidney and digestive disorders; and a third focused on muscle, skeletal and skin diseases.

A new, $20 billion agency named the Administration for a Healthy America would be created. AHA would include many pieces of other agencies that are being consolidated — such as those focused on primary care, environmental health and HIV.

AHA would have $500 million in policy, research and evaluation funding to be allocated by Kennedy to support “Make America Healthy Again” initiatives, including a focus on chronic childhood diseases. But many specific programs would be eliminated under AHA, according to the document, including programs focused on preventing childhood lead poisoning, bolstering the health-care workforce, advancing rural health initiatives and maintaining a registry of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.

The proposal would fund the Food and Drug Administration at a level that allows it to continue to collect drug and medical device fees from the industries the agency regulates. Unless the agency is funded at a certain level, the FDA’s ability to use these funds, which help expedite safety reviews for devices, drugs and other products, would be limited.

The proposal would cut the CDC’s budget by about 44 percent, from $9.2 billion to about $5.2 billion, and would eliminate all of the agency’s chronic disease programs and domestic HIV work. The chronic disease programs being eliminated include work on heart disease, obesity, diabetes and smoking cessation.

Rural programs formerly under the Health Resources and Services Administration appear to be hard-hit. The rural hospital flexibility grants, state offices of rural health, rural residency development program and at-risk rural hospitals program grants are listed as eliminations under AHA.

Money for the Head Start program, which provides early child care and education for low-income families and is funded by HHS’s Administration for Children and Families, would be eliminated. “The federal government should not be in the business of mandating curriculum, locations and performance standards for any form of education,” the document says.

“President Trump has committed to balancing the budget while providing adequate funding for critical nondefense discretionary priorities — securing our borders, caring for our veterans, and continued infrastructure investment,” the document states in an introduction.

“Reaching balance requires: resetting the proper balance between federal and state responsibilities with a renewed emphasis on federalism; eliminating the federal government’s support of woke ideology; protecting the American people by deconstructing a wasteful and weaponized bureaucracy; and identifying and eliminating wasteful spending.”

It is unclear which proposed cuts will stand in the budget proposal to Congress — and whether lawmakers will accept them. During the first Trump administration, Congress rejected some of the administration’s proposals, including a 20 percent cut to NIH.

But those who depend on this funding said the cuts would pose an existential threat to some programs.

“It would be catastrophic,” said Tommy Sheridan, deputy director of the National Head Start Association. “More than a million parents wouldn’t be able to go to work from all those children, or they would have to scramble to find some other type of option. In a lot of communities, Head Start is the only early childhood provider in the community — especially rural America.”

Alan Morgan, chief executive of the National Rural Health Association, said rural residents would suffer if the health initiatives proposed for elimination were cut.

“Those are essential to ensuring access to care for rural Americans and critical to keeping rural hospitals open,” he said. “If that would come to fruition it would be absolute shocking news, because these programs have had such bipartisan support,” he added, noting Kennedy himself had expressed support for the importance of rural hospitals.