Rfk Jr. Shakes Up Leadership Team

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is remaking his leadership team, putting Director of Medicare Chris Klomp in charge of overseeing all HHS operations, he announced in an email to staff Thursday that POLITICO has obtained.

Klomp has also been serving as deputy administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services under Mehmet Oz. He will retain his roles at CMS and now also serve as chief counselor for the department.

During his time at CMS, Klomp has helped lead the administration’s negotiations with drug companies for lower prices, using the authority created by Democrats in 2022's Inflation Reduction Act. He's also sought to improve cost controls on Medicare Advantage, a privately run alternative to Medicare that about half of seniors choose.

Kennedy said he was also making Kyle Diamantas, deputy commissioner for human foods at the Food and Drug Administration, a senior FDA counselor, along with Grace Graham, the agency's deputy commissioner for policy, legislation and international affairs.

A former partner in the Miami office of the law firm Jones Day, Diamantas is reportedly a hunting buddy of President Donald Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr.

Graham was previously chief counsel to Kentucky GOP Rep. Brett Guthrie when he led the Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee. She was also an aide to then-Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.).

John Brooks, deputy administrator and the chief policy and regulatory officer at CMS, will become a senior counselor there.

Brooks served in HHS roles and as a White House health policy adviser in the first Trump administration.

In the email, Kennedy said the new senior counselors would help coordinate between Kennedy and HHS agencies on policy decisions and would also retain their prior roles.

The email also says HHS Chief of Staff Matt Buckham will become senior counselor for operations and personnel. Ken Callahan will become senior counselor for policy. Callahan has served as chief policy adviser.

Buckham and Callahan will report to Klomp, according to Kennedy's message, while Klomp will report to Kennedy.

Buckham first moved into the chief of staff role in July after the departures of Heather Flick Melanson, the prior chief, and Hannah Anderson, the deputy chief of staff for policy. Melanson and Anderson had reportedly tussled, annoying Kennedy. Buckham had been HHS liaison to the White House.

Callahan was also a top aide at HHS during Trump's first term and has overseen policy initiatives in his second, including one to crack down on hospitals that hoard patient information, the withdrawal from the World Health Organization and efforts to reduce regulations, according to a speaker bio for the Concordia Summit last year. He also previously worked on Capitol Hill, the bio said, for Rep. Dave Joyce (R-Ohio).

Robert King and David Lim contributed to this report.

Tim Röhn is the senior editor of the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network.