United States Secretary of Health and Human Services

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Template:Infobox official post 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.[1]

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.[2] Patricia Roberts Harris headed the department before and after it was renamed.[3]

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,[4] 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,[5] thus earning a salary of US$250,600, as of January 2025.[6]

Duties

File:Flag of the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare.png
The flag of the secretary of health, education, and welfare, the predecessor to the current office

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.[7]

The Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW) was reorganized into a Department of Education and a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The Department of Health and Human Services oversees 11 agencies including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).[8]

List of secretaries

Parties

Template:Legend2 (9) Template:Legend2 (15) Template:Legend2 (2)

Status Template:Legend2

Health, Education, and Welfare

No. Portrait Name State of residence Took office Left office President(s)
1 File:Hobby-Oveta-Culp.jpg Oveta Culp Hobby Texas April 11, 1953 July 31, 1955 Dwight D. Eisenhower
(1953–1961)
2 File:Folsom.jpg Marion B. Folsom New York August 2, 1955 July 31, 1958
3 File:ArthurSFlemming.jpg Arthur Flemming Ohio August 1, 1958 January 19, 1961
4 File:Ribicoff.jpg Abraham Ribicoff Connecticut January 21, 1961 July 13, 1962 John F. Kennedy
(1961–1963)
5 File:Celebrez.jpg Anthony J. Celebrezze Ohio July 31, 1962 August 17, 1965
Lyndon B. Johnson
(1963–1969)
6 File:John W. Gardner, U.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare.jpg John W. Gardner California August 18, 1965 March 1, 1968
7 File:Wilburportrait.jpg Wilbur J. Cohen Michigan May 16, 1968 January 20, 1969
8 File:Robert Finch, 1967.jpg Robert Finch California January 21, 1969 June 23, 1970 Richard Nixon
(1969–1974)
9 File:ElliotLeeRichardson.jpg Elliot Richardson Massachusetts June 24, 1970 January 29, 1973
10 File:Caspar Weinberger official photo.jpg Caspar Weinberger California February 12, 1973 August 8, 1975
Gerald Ford
(1974–1977)
11 File:F. David Mathews.jpg F. David Mathews Alabama August 8, 1975 January 20, 1977
12 File:Swearing-in of Joseph Califano, Secretary of HEW - NARA - 173478 (cropped).tif Joseph A. Califano Jr. District of Columbia January 25, 1977 August 3, 1979 Jimmy Carter
(1977–1981)
13 File:Patricia R. Harris official portrait.jpg Patricia Roberts Harris District of Columbia August 3, 1979 May 4, 1980[9]

Health and Human Services

No. Portrait Name State of residence Took office Left office President(s)
13 File:Patricia R. Harris official portrait.jpg Patricia Roberts Harris District of Columbia May 4, 1980[9] January 20, 1981 Jimmy Carter
(1977–1981)
14 File:Secretary Richard Schweiker.jpg Richard Schweiker Pennsylvania January 22, 1981 February 3, 1983 Ronald Reagan
(1981–1989)
15 File:Mmheckler.JPG Margaret Heckler Massachusetts March 10, 1983 December 13, 1985
16 File:Otis R. Bowen.jpg Otis Bowen Indiana December 13, 1985 March 1, 1989
17 File:SullivanLouis.jpg Louis W. Sullivan Georgia March 1, 1989 January 20, 1993 George H. W. Bush
(1989–1993)
18 File:Shalala portrait.jpg Donna Shalala Wisconsin January 22, 1993 January 20, 2001 Bill Clinton
(1993–2001)
19 File:Tommy Thompson 1.jpg Tommy Thompson Wisconsin February 2, 2001 January 26, 2005 George W. Bush
(2001–2009)
20 File:Mike Leavitt.jpg Mike Leavitt Utah January 26, 2005 January 20, 2009
– File:JohnsonCharlesE.jpg Charles E. Johnson Utah January 20, 2009 April 28, 2009 Barack Obama
(2009–2017)
21 File:Kathleen Sebelius official portrait (cropped).jpg Kathleen Sebelius Kansas April 28, 2009 June 9, 2014
22 File:Sylvia Mathews Burwell official portrait (cropped).jpg Sylvia Mathews Burwell West Virginia June 9, 2014 January 20, 2017
– File:Norris Cochran (cropped).jpg Norris Cochran Florida January 20, 2017 February 10, 2017 Donald Trump
(2017–2021)
23 File:Tom Price official photo (cropped).jpg Tom Price Georgia February 10, 2017 September 29, 2017
– File:Don J. Wright official portrait (cropped).jpg Don J. Wright Virginia September 29, 2017 October 10, 2017
– File:Eric D. Hargan official photo (cropped).jpg Eric Hargan Illinois October 10, 2017 January 29, 2018
24 File:Alex Azar official portrait (cropped).jpg Alex Azar Indiana January 29, 2018 January 20, 2021
– File:Norris Cochran (cropped).jpg Norris Cochran Florida January 20, 2021 March 19, 2021 Joe Biden
(2021–2025)
25 File:HHS Xavier Becerra (cropped).jpg Xavier Becerra California March 19, 2021 January 20, 2025
– File:Dorothy-Fink.jpg Dorothy Fink Pennsylvania January 20, 2025 February 13, 2025 Donald Trump
(2025–present)
26 File:Robert F. Kennedy Jr., official portrait (2025) (cropped 3-4).jpg Robert F. Kennedy Jr. California February 13, 2025 Incumbent

Line of succession

The line of succession for the secretary of health and human services is as follows:[10]

  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 (following in the order they took the oath of office)
    1. Assistant Secretary for Health
    2. Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response
    3. Assistant Secretary for Legislation
    4. Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs
    5. Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources
    6. Assistant Secretary for Aging
  10. Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  11. Director, Region 4 (Atlanta, Georgia)

References

  1. ↑ Seitz, Amanda (February 13, 2025). "Vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is sworn in as Trump's health chief after a close Senate vote". Associated Press. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
  2. ↑ Holbrook, M. Cay (February 6, 2017). Foundations of Education: History and theory of teaching children and youths with visual impairments. American Foundation for the Blind. ISBN 9780891283409.
  3. ↑ "Patricia R. Harris (1977–1979)—Miller Center". millercenter.org. Archived from the original on February 7, 2017. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Jurisdiction | The United States Senate Committee on Finance". finance.senate.gov. Archived from the original on February 7, 2017. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  5. ↑ 5 U.S.C. § 5312
  6. ↑ "Salary Table No. 2025-EX Rates of Basic Pay for the Executive Schedule (EX)" (PDF). Retrieved March 30, 2025.
  7. ↑ "The President's Cabinet". Ben's Guide. February 1, 2007. Retrieved November 15, 2007.
  8. ↑ "HHS Agencies & Offices". Archived from the original on September 20, 2013. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Harris was Secretary on May 4, 1980, when the office changed names from Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to Secretary of Health and Human Services. Because the department merely changed names, she did not need to be confirmed again, and her term continued uninterrupted.
  10. ↑ Bush, George W. (February 20, 2008). "Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of Health and Human Services". Federal Register. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
Template:S-prec
Preceded by Order of precedence of the United States
as Secretary of Health and Human Services 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Secretary of Labor
Lori Chavez-DeRemer
 12th in line Succeeded by
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