Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s ballooning security costs were partly covered by money from an office created to fight Black infant deaths.
According to a Wall Street Journal article published on Tuesday, the Department of Health and Human Services told congressional appropriators earlier this year that it was shifting about $12 million from its Office of Minority Health to help pay for Kennedy's protection. The Journal cited people familiar with the matter and a document it reviewed.
According to The Journal's sources, Kennedy's security costs rose from roughly $10 million in fiscal 2025 to $17 million in fiscal 2026. Those sources said protection for previous HHS secretaries ran about $5 million a year.
The sources also told The Journal that the secretary's office had a large pool of discretionary money it could have used instead. The report said HHS took $12 million from the minority health office, well above the roughly $7 million rise in security costs, partly because the secretary's office has been hit by across-the-board budget cuts.
The Office of Minority Health dates to the Reagan administration and was created after a landmark report found that Black infants in the U.S. were more likely than white infants to die. It also found that Black Americans had shorter life expectancies. The office has an annual budget of about $74 million and has funded research and programs aimed at closing those gaps, according to The Journal.
In August, HHS notified 16 nonprofits and universities that their grants from the office had been canceled, citing "limited" funding and new priorities. The department said the office would now focus on "the root causes of infertility and reproductive health conditions" and on promoting physical activity.
The Journal reported that HHS spent about $9 million on the programs last year. They provided fresh vegetables, chronic disease screenings, and at-home nurse visits for new mothers in low-income communities.
HHS spokeswoman Emily Hilliard told The Journal that the grant cuts "reflect HHS priorities and programmatic assessments" rather than the secretary's security needs.
"Secretary Kennedy faces a security environment that differs significantly from that of previous HHS secretaries," Hilliard said. She added that his protection reflects the threats against him, his extensive travel, and what he needs to do his job safely, per The Journal.