Health Shake-Up: Big Changes Ahead for Federal Health Workers

A significant overhaul is underway at the Health and Human Services (HHS) department. The federal agency is set to shrink dramatically. About 10, 000 full-time jobs are on the line. This is part of a broader plan to downsize or close several divisions within the HHS. The goal is to streamline operations and reduce redundancy. This move is expected to reduce the health department’s workforce from 82, 000 to 62, 000 employees. This includes earlier layoffs. The HHS oversees 13 key agencies. These include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The cuts are part of a larger plan to reshape public health in the U. S. The new plan will merge 28 divisions into 15. This will create a new organization called the Administration for Healthy America (AHA). The AHA will take over the functions of the dissolved departments. The changes are not without controversy. Critics argue that such drastic cuts could harm public health. Experts warn that losing experienced scientists and staff could have long-term impacts. Rebuilding the public health workforce will be challenging and time-consuming. The cuts are seen as shortsighted and dangerous by some. The layoffs have already caused chaos and confusion. Center directors have reported receiving little to no notice about the cuts. Some have learned about the layoffs through media reports. This lack of communication has added to the uncertainty and stress among employees. The changes come as Secretary Kennedy begins to implement his vision for HHS. Earlier this week, the CDC was preparing to hand over vaccine safety data to a researcher with a controversial past. The FDA canceled a meeting about flu shots. Kennedy has also downplayed the importance of vaccination in Texas amid a measles outbreak. The CDC will see a reduction of about 2, 400 employees. The FDA will lose around 3, 500 full-time employees. The NIH will reduce its workforce by 1, 200 employees. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will lose about 300 workers. Despite these cuts, the reorganization of CMS will not affect Medicare and Medicaid. The FDA’s review process for drugs, medical devices, and food will also remain unchanged. The latest layoffs are separate from earlier attempts by the Trump administration. Those attempts involved firing thousands of probationary employees at the CDC and other federal agencies. Two federal judges have since ordered the reinstatement of many of those workers.