President Donald Trump on June 25 said he picked a new deputy for Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Chris Klomp has been selected as deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“HHS is a massive and complex organization, but Chris knows exactly how to run it,” Trump said.
Klomp has for months been working with top HHS officials on a number of projects. He was deeply involved in running a search for the next Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director and has been helping manage Medicare.
Klomp, 46, previously started a business called Collective Medical, which he sold in 2020. His expertise is in healthcare data and payments.
Klomp also worked on Trump administration deals with drug makers, which have resulted in lower prices for drugs, drawing praise from the president.
“Chris Klomp has been unbelievable, a real star,” Trump said at the White House in April when announcing one of the deals. “You don’t know his name as much as some of the others, but he’s a real star of the group.”
“His rapid rise in my Administration proves that he is a potential STAR,” Trump wrote in his June 25 Truth Social post. “Chris is a Strong and Inspiring Leader and a Highly Successful Entrepreneur. Everywhere Chris goes, he earns TRUST. He is a person of principle, and is deeply committed to serving the AMERICAN People—and fixing our broken Healthcare System.”
Kennedy and Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, an HHS division, helped choose Klomp, according to the president.
The position of HHS deputy director requires Senate confirmation. Votes on health nominees usually happen after confirmation hearings before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.
A number of Trump’s selections for health posts, including the CDC director nominee, are currently awaiting confirmation hearings before the panel. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who lost his bid for reelection after Trump endorsed one of his Republican opponents, chairs the committee. He has not responded to requests for comment on when the hearings will happen.
Cassidy wrote on X on Thursday that he was encouraged by Klomp’s selection, describing the nominee as being “dedicated to improving the health of Americans.”
The Senate in mid-2025 confirmed Jim O‘Neill to be deputy HHS secretary. O’Neill held that position until February, when he left HHS to become director of the National Science Foundation.
Senators confirmed Kennedy in early 2025. Some senators who voted to confirm him, such as Cassidy, have become critical of his moves on vaccine policy, although others say the changes have strengthened medical freedom.
