United States Secretary of Health and Human Services


The United States secretary of health and human services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on health matters. The secretary is a member of the United States Cabinet. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the incumbent secretary of health and human services, having held the position since February 13, 2025.
The office was formerly known as the secretary of health, education, and welfare. In 1980, the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was renamed to Department of Health and Human Services, and its education functions and Rehabilitation Services Administration were transferred to the new United States Department of Education. Patricia Roberts Harris headed the department before and after it was renamed.
Nominations to the office are referred to the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and the United States Senate Committee on Finance, which has jurisdiction over Medicare and Medicaid, before confirmation is considered by the full United States Senate. The secretary of health and human services is a level I position in the Executive Schedule, thus earning a salary of US$250,600, as of January 2025.

Duties

The duties of the secretary revolve around human conditions and concerns in the United States. This includes advising the president on matters of health, welfare, and income security programs. The secretary strives to administer the Department of Health and Human Services to carry out approved programs and make the public aware of the objectives of the department.
The Department of Health, Education and Welfare was reorganized into a Department of Education and a Department of Health and Human Services.
The Department of Health and Human Services oversees 11 agencies including the Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control, National Institutes of Health, Administration for Children and Families and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

List of secretaries

; Parties



'''Status'''

Health, Education, and Welfare

Health and Human Services

Line of succession

The line of succession for the secretary of health and human services is as follows:
  1. Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services.
  2. General Counsel of the Department of Health and Human Services
  3. Assistant Secretary for Administration
  4. Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
  5. Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
  6. Commissioner of Food and Drugs
  7. Director of the National Institutes of Health
  8. Assistant Secretary for Children and Families
  9. Other assistant secretaries
  10. # Assistant Secretary for Health
  11. # Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response
  12. # Assistant Secretary for Legislation
  13. # Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs
  14. # Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources
  15. # Assistant Secretary for Aging
  16. Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  17. Director, Region 4