10, 000 workers will be let go by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), along with shutting down entire agencies, including those that control billions in funding for addiction services and community health centers.
In a video that announced the restructuring on Thursday, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK) criticized the department he oversees as an ineffective “sprawling bureaucracy.” He blamed the department’s 82, 000 employees for the country’s declining health.
In the video posted to social media, Kennedy said, “I want to promise you that we’re going to do more with less.”
The restructuring plan comes after weeks of turmoil at the nation’s top health department, which has been sparked by rumors of mass layoffs, the removal of $11 billion in federal funding for cities and counties, a weak response to a measles outbreak, and controversial statements made by its new head about vaccines.
Kennedy acknowledged that HHS is in need of a “painful period” as it works to monitor infectious diseases, inspecting facilities, and overseeing health insurance programs for nearly half the nation.
“Restore American health”
The department will reduce its workforce to 62, 000 positions, leaving nearly a quarter of its workforce with layoffs, and another 10,000 with employees who have accepted voluntary separation offers and early retirement offers encouraged by US President Donald Trump’s administration.
Kennedy’s plans were quickly criticized by congressional Democrats, public health experts, doctors, current and former HHS employees, and congressional Democrats, who warned that they could have untold consequences for millions of people nationwide.
According to Consumer Reports’ director of food policy, Brian Ronholm, “These staff cuts endanger public health and food safety.” They raise serious concerns that the administration’s pledge to restore health to Americans may end up being a hollow promise.
However, Kennedy criticised HHS for failing to prolong Americans’ lives and failing to do enough to reduce the rate of chronic disease and cancer in the announcement of the restructuring.
According to Kennedy, “all that money” in the department’s $1.7 trillion yearly budget has failed to improve Americans’ health.
Federal health workers who work for organizations like the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), both of which are located in Maryland, described a week of dread, fear, and anxiety pouring through their offices on Thursday. Many employees told The Associated Press that they were notified of the cuts without giving them any notice, and many others were unsure about their future employment.
An FDA employee who spoke on the condition of anonymity said, “It’s incredibly difficult, frustrating, and upsetting not really knowing where we stand while we’re trying to keep doing the work.” We are being treated unfairly, have disabilities, and hang guillotine over our necks.
Drastically reduce
HHS claimed that the FDA’s planned job cuts would not affect drug, medical, or food inspectors or reviewers.
According to Eva Temkin, a lawyer at Arnold & Porter who advises clients on drug and medical device applications, the terminations are likely to delay drug and medical device application reviews or result in missed deadlines. There is a real chance that this will cause patients to have to wait longer for treatments, she said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will replace the HHS agency known as the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (formerly an independent HHS agency with 1, 000 employees).
Staffing reductions will occur at the NIH’s 27 institutes and centers.
The director of NIH’s Executive Secretariat, Nate Brought, the recently departed director, said, “The only way to drastically reduce that high of a percentage of our staff, along with the 35 percent contracting cuts that are being directed, is to drastically reduce what NIH does across the board.”
Comparably, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services were spared, with only about 300 staff members cut. The remaining 2,600 cuts would be made in HHS divisions or offices, it was unclear at the time.
The department’s 10 regional offices will be reduced to five, and its 28 divisions will be consolidated into 15. This will bring together offices that deal with addiction, toxic substances, and occupational safety in one central office.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, the Health Resources and Services Administration, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health will be among the AHA.
According to the department, it will be divided into the workforce, maternal and child health, mental health, environmental health, HIV/AIDS, and primary care.
Functions that are currently being managed by several health departments, including the FDA, CDC, and NIH, are now centralized under the new policies, such as communications, human resources, IT, and policy planning. Although organizations have traditionally operated more independently than HHS and the White House, the health secretary is in charge of their affairs.
Additionally, HHS announced that it would combine Kennedy’s policies’ research and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
According to the department, no additional cuts are currently being planned.
Pretty devastated, I say.
An NIH employee claimed that the consolidation and cuts are much deeper than anyone had anticipated.
The staff member, who reportedly spoke on the condition of anonymity, expressed concern for retaliation, adding, “We’re all pretty devastated.” We are unsure of what this means for public health.
