United States Secretary of Health and Human Services facts for kids

Quick facts for kids United States Secretary of Health and Human Services
Flag of the secretary
Seal of the department
Incumbent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. since February 13, 2025
United States Department of Health and Human Services
Style	Mr. Secretary (informal) The Honorable (formal)
Member of	The United States Cabinet
Reports to	President of the United States
Seat	Hubert H. Humphrey Building, Washington, D.C.
Appointer	President of the United States with Senate advice and consent
Term length	At the president's pleasure
Constituting instrument	Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1953 67 Stat. 631 42 U.S.C. § 3501
Formation	April 11, 1953; 72 years ago (1953-04-11)
First holder	Oveta Culp Hobby
Succession	Twelfth
Deputy	United States Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services
Salary	Executive Schedule, Level I

The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services is a very important leader in the U.S. government. This person is in charge of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. They are the main helper and advisor to the President of the United States on all things related to health.

The Secretary is also a member of the United States Cabinet. This is a group of the President's closest advisors. As of February 13, 2025, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the current Secretary of Health and Human Services.

This job used to be called the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. In 1980, the department changed its name to the Department of Health and Human Services. The parts that dealt with education moved to a new department, the United States Department of Education. Patricia Roberts Harris was the leader of the department both before and after this change.

When a new Secretary is chosen, the President nominates them. Then, the United States Senate must approve the choice. The Senate committees that review the nomination are the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and the Finance Committee. The Finance Committee looks at programs like Medicare and Medicaid. The Secretary of Health and Human Services earns a salary of about US$250,600 per year.

What the Secretary Does

The flag of the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, the old name for this job.

The Secretary of Health and Human Services has many important jobs. Their main role is to help people in the United States with their health and well-being. This includes giving advice to the President on health topics. They also advise on programs that help with welfare and income security.

The Secretary works hard to make sure the Department of Health and Human Services runs smoothly. They oversee many programs that help people. They also make sure the public knows what the department is working on.

Key Agencies They Oversee

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) supervises 11 different agencies. These agencies work on many important things.

• The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) makes sure our food and medicines are safe.
• The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) helps protect us from diseases.
• The National Institutes of Health (NIH) does research to find cures for illnesses.
• The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) helps children and families.
• The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) manages health insurance programs for many Americans.

Past Secretaries

This section lists the people who have held this important job.

Parties

      Democratic (9)       Republican (15)       Independent (2)

Status       Denotes acting HHS secretary

Secretaries of Health, Education, and Welfare

No.	Portrait	Name	State of residence	Took office	Left office	President(s)
1		Hobby, Oveta CulpOveta Culp Hobby	Texas	April 11, 1953	July 31, 1955		Eisenhower, Dwight D.Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961)
2		Folsom, Marion B.Marion B. Folsom	New York	August 2, 1955	July 31, 1958
3		Flemming, ArthurArthur Flemming	Ohio	August 1, 1958	January 19, 1961
4		Ribicoff, AbrahamAbraham Ribicoff	Connecticut	January 21, 1961	July 13, 1962		Kennedy, John F.John F. Kennedy (1961–1963)
5		Celebrezze, Anthony J.Anthony J. Celebrezze	Ohio	July 31, 1962	August 17, 1965
							Johnson, Lyndon B.Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969)
6		Gardner, John W.John W. Gardner	California	August 18, 1965	March 1, 1968
7		Cohen, Wilbur J.Wilbur J. Cohen	Michigan	May 16, 1968	January 20, 1969
8		Finch, RobertRobert Finch	California	January 21, 1969	June 23, 1970		Nixon, RichardRichard Nixon (1969–1974)
9		Richardson, ElliotElliot Richardson	Massachusetts	June 24, 1970	January 29, 1973
10		Weinberger, CasparCaspar Weinberger	California	February 12, 1973	August 8, 1975
							Ford, GeraldGerald Ford (1974–1977)
11		Mathews, F. DavidF. David Mathews	Alabama	August 8, 1975	January 20, 1977
12		Califano Jr., Joseph A.Joseph A. Califano Jr.	District of Columbia	January 25, 1977	August 3, 1979		Carter, JimmyJimmy Carter (1977–1981)
13		Harris, Patricia RobertsPatricia Roberts Harris	District of Columbia	August 3, 1979	May 4, 1980

Secretaries of Health and Human Services

No.	Portrait	Name	State of residence	Took office	Left office	President(s)
13		Harris, Patricia RobertsPatricia Roberts Harris	District of Columbia	May 4, 1980	January 20, 1981		Carter, JimmyJimmy Carter (1977–1981)
14		Schweiker, RichardRichard Schweiker	Pennsylvania	January 22, 1981	February 3, 1983		Reagan, RonaldRonald Reagan (1981–1989)
15		Heckler, MargaretMargaret Heckler	Massachusetts	March 10, 1983	December 13, 1985
16		Bowen, OtisOtis Bowen	Indiana	December 13, 1985	March 1, 1989
17		Sullivan, Louis W.Louis W. Sullivan	Georgia	March 1, 1989	January 20, 1993		Bush, George H. W.George H. W. Bush (1989–1993)
18		Shalala, DonnaDonna Shalala	Wisconsin	January 22, 1993	January 20, 2001		Clinton, BillBill Clinton (1993–2001)
19		Thompson, TommyTommy Thompson	Wisconsin	February 2, 2001	January 26, 2005		Bush, George W.George W. Bush (2001–2009)
20		Leavitt, MikeMike Leavitt	Utah	January 26, 2005	January 20, 2009
–		Johnson, Charles E.Charles E. Johnson	Utah	January 20, 2009	April 28, 2009		Obama, BarackBarack Obama (2009–2017)
21		Sebelius, KathleenKathleen Sebelius	Kansas	April 28, 2009	June 9, 2014
22		Burwell, Sylvia MathewsSylvia Mathews Burwell	West Virginia	June 9, 2014	January 20, 2017
–		Cochran, NorrisNorris Cochran	Florida	January 20, 2017	February 10, 2017		Trump, DonaldDonald Trump (2017–2021)
23		Price, TomTom Price	Georgia	February 10, 2017	September 29, 2017
–		Wright, Don J.Don J. Wright	Virginia	September 29, 2017	October 10, 2017
–		Hargan, EricEric Hargan	Illinois	October 10, 2017	January 29, 2018
24		Azar, AlexAlex Azar	Indiana	January 29, 2018	January 20, 2021
–		Cochran, NorrisNorris Cochran	Florida	January 20, 2021	March 19, 2021		Biden, JoeJoe Biden (2021–2025)
25		Becerra, XavierXavier Becerra	California	March 19, 2021	January 20, 2025
–		Fink, DorothyDorothy Fink	Pennsylvania	January 20, 2025	February 13, 2025		Trump, DonaldDonald Trump (2025–present)
26		Robert F. Kennedy Jr.	California	February 13, 2025	Incumbent

Who Takes Over if the Secretary Can't?

Sometimes, the Secretary might not be able to do their job. There is a special order of people who can step in. This is called the line of succession.

• The Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services is first in line.
• Next is the General Counsel of the Department of Health and Human Services.
• Then comes the Assistant Secretary for Administration.
• After that, it's the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation.
• The Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is next.
• Then the Commissioner of Food and Drugs.
• The Director of the National Institutes of Health.
• The Assistant Secretary for Children and Families.
• Other assistant secretaries follow in the order they started their jobs.
  • Assistant Secretary for Health
  • Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response
  • Assistant Secretary for Legislation
  • Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs
  • Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources
  • Assistant Secretary for Aging
• The Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• Finally, the Director of Region 4 (Atlanta, Georgia).

See also

In Spanish: Secretario de Salud y Servicios Humanos de los Estados Unidos para niños