Jayapal Statement on the Closure of Seattle’s Department of Health and Human Services Office
SEATTLE, WA – U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) released the following statement regarding information that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will be closing its Seattle field office, resulting in the termination of hundreds of employees.
“The HHS Region 10 Seattle Field Office serves Americans in Washington State, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska — a collective population of nearly 15 million people. The office and its staff work with state and local organizations and governments to keep communities safe, healthy, and informed. Now, President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have decided to shutter the Seattle Field Office, fire its staff, and abandon the millions who rely on its services.
“These cuts are dangerous, reckless, and pointless. The staff at HHS field offices are not political — they are dedicated civil servants who have spent their careers focusing on helping people and communities access critical resources to promote food safety, provide employment services, support children and seniors who are food insecure, and deal with substance use and mental health disorders. They facilitate care during natural disasters, ensure health care standards and requirements are being met, and provide services to the 272 federally recognized tribes in Region 10. HHS also acts as the local liaison for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and helps administer the Head Start program, whose Seattle office is also being closed.
“We should be working to strengthen these resources, not diminish them, especially as the cost of health care continues to rise. These ‘cost-saving cuts’ from Trump continue to be nothing other than chaotic layoffs and the destruction of programs that help to support families and communities.
“I will do everything in my power to reverse this closure and support the workers and communities that relied on this office.”
Issues: Health Care, Jobs, Labor, & the Economy