According to people familiar with the matter and a document reviewed by the media, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told congressional appropriators earlier this year that it planned to shift about $12 million from its Office of Minority Health to cover rising security costs for Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

People familiar with the matter said Kennedy, a prominent figure in the Trump administration, has security expenses that rose from about $10 million in fiscal 2025 to $17 million in fiscal 2026. They said the secretary's office had discretionary funds that could have covered the security increase, but HHS instead cut $12 million from the Office of Minority Health amid broader budget reductions, rather than trimming only the $7 million increase in security costs.