New York, US, (EFE).- Hundreds of federal employees across multiple agencies under the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) began receiving termination notices early on Tuesday, according to US media reports. The layoffs impact various positions, from senior officials to medical professionals.
The move is part of a sweeping restructuring plan announced last week by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which aims to cut 10,000 jobs.
Some employees reportedly discovered they had been laid off upon arriving at work, only to find that their security credentials had been deactivated, preventing them from accessing their offices.
Last Friday, leaked details of the layoffs revealed the breakdown of job cuts: 3,500 positions at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 2,400 positions at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1,200 positions at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 300 positions at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Additionally, CDC officials were informed that some of their offices would be permanently shut down.
Federal worker rights eroding
The layoffs come amid broader changes to federal labor policies.
Last Thursday, United States President Donald Trump signed an executive order that eliminates collective bargaining rights for unions in agencies with national security-related missions, including the CDC.
The restructuring plan is expected to shrink HHS to 62,000 employees, cutting nearly one-quarter of its workforce through these layoffs and additional 10,000 voluntary retirements and separations.
This represents an overall reduction of about one-third from the department’s workforce of approximately 92,620 employees as of Sep. 2024.
State and local health departments affected
Beyond federal agencies, the cuts are beginning to ripple through state and local health departments.
Last week, HHS announced the withdrawal of more than 11 billion dollars in funding allocated for COVID-19 response efforts, further straining public health resources nationwide.
The full impact of these cuts remain uncertain, but experts warn that reducing federal health agency staffing could weaken the country’s preparedness for future public health crises. EFE
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