NWLC Slams Cuts to Anti-Poverty Office at HHS, Threatening Vital Assistance for Women & Children

Washington, DC (April 11) — The National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) released a statement following reporting that Donald Trump and DOGE fired the entire office at the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) that works on federal poverty guidelines, which is essential to distributing basic need support for tens of millions of women and children across the country.

“Donald Trump and DOGE’s total disregard for how the federal government works isn’t just ignorant — it’s dangerous,” said Jasmine Tucker, Vice President of research at NWLC. “These HHS staffers are absolutely essential to ensuring that basic need programs, such as Medicaid, child care, and food and housing assistance get to the people who need it the most. Without their expertise, which includes data analysis to set poverty guidelines, children will go hungry, more families will face homelessness, and lives will be lost. Gutting this work isn’t about efficiency — it’s reckless, heartless, and flat-out stupid.”