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Dismissals took place at the Department of Health and Human Services as staff members started getting notified about their termination on Tuesday morning.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. revealed this month plans to cut 20,000 positions within the large federal agency—half through voluntary retirements and buyouts, and the remaining half via layoffs.
Inspired by PresidentDonaldTrump Donald Trump The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) plans to reduce the HHS workforce by approximately one-fourth, decreasing the number of employees from 82,000 to around 62,000.
The majority of cuts will impact the Food and Drug Administration, where 3,500 employees from this division will lose their jobs. FDA oversees the inspection, establishment, and enforcement of safety protocols for food, drugs, and medical equipment in the United States.
And the second highest number of reductions are occurring at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). CDC ), with 2,400 employees at risk of being laid off.
In the meantime, an additional 1,200 positions are being eliminated at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), along with 300 roles from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, as detailed in the reduction plan released on Thursday.
HHS has vowed that no one receiving Medicare or Medicaid benefits will be impacted by the job cuts.
Government staff members at the oversized organization began receiving termination emails in their inboxes on Monday, mere 24 hours after President Trump took action to revoke union negotiation privileges for federal personnel.
RFK Jr. wants to consolidate divisions of his department that oversee billions in addiction services and community health centers in his newly established Administration for a Healthy America.
Some 10,000 workers already took early retirement and voluntary separation offers at HHS. Another 10,000 are being fired in the latest round of DOGE-inspired cuts.
In a six-minute clip uploaded to X earlier this week, Kennedy stated his intention to decrease the number of HHS divisions from 28 to 15 and cut down the regional offices from 10 to just 5.
'We're going to do more with less,' he vowed. 'No American is going to be left behind.'
'We're going to consolidate all of these departments and make them accountable to you, the American taxpayer and the American patient.'
An HHS press release on the job cuts claims the measure will save the department $1.8 billion annually.
Kennedy lamented that while the HHS budget and workforce has inflated in recent years, so have the rates of cancer and other chronic diseases. He also noted that Americans' life spans have dropped despite a bigger focus on the health agency.
He intends to establish a new department under HHS named the Administration for a Healthy America. This entity will handle essential tasks with an emphasis on ensuring 'access to safe and nutritious food, access to clean water, and the removal of harmful environmental substances,' as stated in the HHS announcement about the restructuring.
Despite being quite contentious even within certain Republican circles because of his views against vaccines, RFK Jr. was recently approved to head the agency responsible for overseeing national healthcare policies, pharmaceuticals, vaccination guidelines, and other critical health-related advisories in the United States.
He pledged to 'Make America Healthy Again' (MAHA) by removing non-essential and possibly harmful ingredients from foods, and granting greater autonomy to individuals when making health choices—such as opting for vaccinations or exploring complementary treatments within their medical care system.
As an longtime member of the Democratic Party, Kennedy changed his affiliation to independent in 2023. He initially entered the race for the 2024 presidency but later supported Donald Trump’s campaign and became instrumental in launching the MAHA movement.
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