In a significant move that has raised concerns among employees and advocates alike, thousands of Health and Human Services (HHS) employees are facing layoffs as the Trump administration initiates its controversial workforce reduction plan. On Tuesday, the first wave of dismissals began, with expectations that up to 10,000 staff members could ultimately be removed from the department through forced layoffs.
The job cuts represent the first tangible outcome of the departmental overhaul announced last week by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.. This restructuring is designed to dramatically reshape the HHS, which plays a crucial role in overseeing the U.S. food supply, monitoring disease outbreaks, conducting essential medical research, and administering health insurance to nearly half of the American population.
In addition to the layoffs, Kennedy has proposed the creation of a new office called “the Administration for a Healthy America.” This office aims to consolidate agencies that manage billions of dollars in funding for addiction services and community health centers, further indicating a shift in the department's focus and operations.
Once the layoffs are fully implemented, the HHS workforce is expected to shrink from 82,000 to 62,000 positions, resulting in a staggering reduction of nearly a quarter of its workforce. The decision to downsize comes in tandem with recent actions by Donald Trump to revoke collective bargaining rights for workers at HHS and other federal entities.
Union representatives were informed last Thursday that between 8,000 to 10,000 employees will be terminated, with specific focus on positions in human resources, procurement, finance, and IT. The reductions will prioritize job eliminations in “high-cost regions” and those roles deemed “redundant or duplicative,” according to a reduction of force email obtained by the Guardian.
The HHS has detailed specific job losses across various agencies, including 3,500 positions at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 2,400 at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1,200 at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and 300 at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. These cuts will undoubtedly have a profound effect on the department's ability to fulfill its mission of safeguarding public health.
As the situation develops, more details will emerge regarding the implications of these job cuts and the future structure of the HHS. Stakeholders and the public will be closely monitoring how these changes will affect health services across the nation.
