The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has begun reversing termination notices for certain employees who were laid off recently. On Friday evening and into Saturday morning, these employees, who are considered probationary, received calls from the FDA's human resources department. According to three anonymous sources familiar with these communications, the agency assured the affected workers that they would regain computer and network access by Monday.
Among those who received calls were former employees from the Center for Devices and Radiological Health. This office, which is pivotal in overseeing medical devices and digital health products, reportedly faced significant layoffs. The device industry quickly responded with opposition to these mass firings.
It remains uncertain how many terminations will ultimately be reversed, as some FDA employees are expected to return to their offices starting Monday. Both the FDA and the US Department of Health and Human Services have yet to issue a statement regarding this situation.
The callback initiative follows the termination of thousands of federal employees due to an executive order from President Donald Trump that aimed to reduce the federal workforce. This wave of layoffs began shortly after the executive order, impacting various health agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, among other branches within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
The FDA's termination notices specifically targeted employees under a probationary period. The notices indicated that these employees were "not fit for continued employment" because their "ability, knowledge, and skills do not fit the Agency's current needs." This information was gleaned from an email sent by acting chief human capital officer Jeffery Anoka, as reported by Bloomberg Law.
According to the email, affected employees were to be placed on administrative leave and would receive four weeks of pay. The reversal of some of these terminations indicates a re-evaluation of the agency's staffing needs in light of recent industry feedback and operational requirements.
