WASHINGTON — Two top health officials are leaving their jobs amid a shakeup at the Department of Health and Human Services aimed at refocusing HHS on politically popular aspects of health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s agenda in advance of the midterm elections.

Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill and General Counsel Mike Stuart are exiting a year into Kennedy’s reign, according to a person familiar with the matter. HHS and the White House didn’t respond to requests for comment on Friday. The news was first reported by Politico.

The White House directed the changes to overcome dysfunction at the agency that had been attributed, in part, to poor management, the person said. The new leaders, trusted by top administration officials, are expected to smooth out problems that have added to chaos during a period of historic upheaval.

The departures come as leaders of the MAHA movement make the case to the White House that they will be crucial to winning over key voters in the midterms, leading officials to home in on health policy issues that poll well.