On Tuesday morning, Fred, an employee at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), arrived at work as he usually did. After swiping his badge at the front desk, he walked to his suite, only to discover an unsettling sight—his office was completely empty. Fred, whose identity is being protected to avoid retaliation, soon learned that he, along with his entire office, had been laid off. At 5:10 a.m., he had received a reduction in force (RIF) notification via email. In a surreal twist, he logged off, packed his laptop, and headed home without any official offboarding process in place.
Fred's experience is not unique; he was among thousands of employees at the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) who received RIF notifications that day. The HHS is set to lay off a staggering 10,000 employees as part of a broader plan to cut 20,000 jobs, which constitutes approximately one-quarter of its total workforce. It remains unclear whether all affected staff received their notifications on that fateful Tuesday.
Last week, HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy announced the workforce reduction and organizational restructuring plan, but employees have since been met with "radio silence" as they awaited additional information regarding their job statuses. The layoffs will affect multiple divisions within HHS, with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expected to lay off 3,500 employees, the CDC 2,400, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) 1,200, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) 300.
Leadership at various levels has reported being kept out of the decision-making loop regarding these cuts, with only a small cadre of political leaders at HHS privy to the plans. The RIF notifications began arriving in employees' inboxes as early as 3 a.m. ET, but many workers were unaware of their layoffs until they found that their badges did not grant them access to their offices. Reports emerged of employees breaking down in tears as the reality of their situation set in.
Security measures were heightened at various HHS campuses, resulting in lengthy 90-minute lines for employees attempting to enter their offices. Most RIF letters instructed employees to take administrative leave, while others were told to continue working until their responsibilities could be transferred. The notifications, issued by Tom Nagy, a senior human resources official at HHS, stated that employees would be formally separated from the agency on June 2, with reassurances that the layoffs did not reflect on their performance or conduct.
Despite these reassurances, the letters indicated that entire competitive areas within HHS had been eliminated. The approach taken by the Trump administration in implementing RIFs at various agencies allows for a more sweeping style of layoffs, bypassing typical procedural requirements and leading to the dismantling of entire offices.
Numerous employees reported discrepancies in the RIF notifications, including incorrect details regarding their recent performance evaluations. At the FDA, the designated point of contact for the Equal Employment Opportunity office was no longer with the agency, leaving employees without crucial support should they wish to contest their layoffs.
Both departing and remaining employees within HHS have expressed deep concerns regarding the sweeping cuts, predicting detrimental effects on the department's operational capacity despite Kennedy's assurances that the agency would "do more with less." Notably, over one-third of the cuts at the CDC were focused on the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), which investigates workplace outbreaks and illnesses. An alarming 80% of NIOSH's workforce was affected, including the loss of its director and deputy director.
Several key programs, such as the initiative that compensates federal employees for cancer caused by radiation exposure, were eliminated. Similarly, NIOSH's National Firefighter Registry, which tracks cancer rates among firefighters, was also cut. Critically, the CDC also disbanded its entire Freedom of Information Act office, despite legal requirements to maintain such functions.
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) experienced a significant impact as well, with about one-third of its staff receiving RIF notices. This agency plays a vital role in providing healthcare services to vulnerable populations, including low-income individuals and those with HIV. Since President Trump took office, HRSA has seen a reduction of more than half its workforce, adversely affecting its operations.
Additionally, top executives across HHS are being offered reassignments to the Indian Health Service (IHS), which has, so far, avoided layoffs despite high vacancy rates. However, many executives doubt that the reassignments will lead to suitable positions.
The layoffs are part of a larger reorganization strategy aimed at saving $2 billion annually as HHS transitions from 28 divisions down to 15. The RIFs affecting human resources, IT, procurement, and external affairs are part of an initiative to centralize these functions within the newly formed Administration for Health America (AHA). This new agency will encompass SAMHSA, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, and NIOSH.
Secretary Kennedy has expressed a desire for all HHS employees to feel a sense of purpose and responsibility in their roles, stating, "I want every HHS employee to wake up every morning asking themselves, 'What can I do to restore American Health?'" As HHS navigates this significant transition, the potential consequences of these layoffs and the reorganization remain to be fully realized.
