Partnership for Public Service statement on the confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services

February 13, 2025

WASHINGTON – The nonpartisan, nonprofit Partnership for Public Service released the following statement from President and CEO Max Stier after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was confirmed by the Senate as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. 

“The Department of Health and Human Services has huge responsibilities to ensure the health and well-being of all Americans and to foster sound, sustained advances in the sciences that underline medicine, public health and social services. We are hopeful that Secretary Kennedy will build on the strong scientific and health care work that underpins the mission of HHS and that he will rely on the expertise of the career professionals across the department.”  

The Partnership’s Department of Health and Human Services agency performance dashboard provides insights about the department’s operations and workforce. Some key data points include:  

• 2023 Best Places to Work in the Federal Government score and rank: 75.2 out of 100, ranking 2 out of 17 large agencies   

• Effective Leadership Score: 76.5 out of 100, ranking 2 out of 17 large agencies    

• Number of Senate-confirmed positions: 19  

The Partnership also produces and maintains several resources to assess and analyze the health of the federal government, including a political appointments tracker with The Washington Post that follows the progress of roughly 800 of President Trump’s Senate-confirmed positions. The annual Best Places to Work in the Federal Government^® rankings measure employee engagement government-wide as well as at individual departments, agencies and subcomponents. Additionally, our Vision for a Better Government provides areas of focus for management reforms. 

During the past 24 years, the nonpartisan, nonprofit Partnership for Public Service has been dedicated to building a better government and a stronger democracy. We work across administrations to help transform the way government works by providing agencies with the data insights they need to succeed, developing effective leaders, inspiring the next generation to public service, facilitating smooth presidential transitions and recognizing exceptional federal employees.     

Visit ourpublicservice.org, follow us @PublicService and subscribe today to get the latest federal news, information on upcoming Partnership programs and events, and more.         

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