The resistance to RFK Jr. quietly racks up wins

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The resistance to RFK Jr. quietly racks up wins
Accountability reporting is helping reverse health policy and funding shifts tied to the HHS secretary’s agenda

By Sophia Tesfaye
Senior Writer
Published January 21, 2026 9:15AM (EST)


(Salon) One year into Donald Trump’s second presidency appears to mark a tipping point, with a growing resistance to one of the most reckless members of his Cabinet finally taking root. A pair of reports published last week sparked widespread public outrage against a key part of the administration’s agenda, forcing Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to reverse some of his department’s most dangerous policies.

On the morning of Jan. 14, the leaders of hundreds of health care organizations across the country woke up to frantic emails after finding out that $2 billion in federal grants had been terminated by the Trump administration overnight. Without any warning or avenue for recourse, as many as 2,800 grantees of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) representing about 26% of the agency’s entire budget lost their funding for addiction and mental health care when health officials unexpectedly canceled funding, sending shockwaves through the nation’s health care system. Thousands of patients lost access to programs like drug courts that offer treatment as an alternative to incarceration, recovery for pregnant and postpartum women, and overdose prevention education for young people.

Kennedy, who is set to hold a so-called Make America Healthy Again rally in Pennsylvania on Wednesday touting the White House’s new food pyramid, has proposed folding SAMHSA into a new agency he would call the Administration for a Healthy America. According to a letter obtained by the Guardian, federal funding to grantees was terminated because the services no longer aligned with the Trump administration’s priorities. The new goals, according to a letter from Christopher Carroll, SAMHSA’s deputy assistant secretary, include “innovative programs and interventions.”

During his 2024 presidential campaign, Kennedy repeatedly pointed to the addiction and mental health crisis as a top priority. Despite his promises and his own history — he is in long-term recovery from heroin and alcohol addiction — his department is now seeking to gut the very infrastructure designed to address these crises, with no explanation beyond bureaucratic double-speak. ........................(more)

https://www.salon.com/2026/01/21/the-resistance-to-rfk-jr-quietly-racks-up-wins/