Layoffs are underway across major U.S. health agencies following a controversial restructuring plan by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.. While full details remain limited, early signs suggest significant disruption within the federal public health workforce.
According to reporting from AP News, federal employees have begun receiving notifications about job losses, raising concerns about the impact on ongoing public health programs.
The scope of the reorganization is still unfolding, but agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) appear to be among the first affected. As uncertainty grows, many are questioning the rationale behind these sweeping cuts.
Significant Downsizing Affects FDA and National Health Offices
On Monday, some FDA employees received emails instructing them to pack up their laptops and prepare for the possibility that they would not be returning to work. The messages also indicated that termination would result in immediate revocation of building access.
According to internal communications obtained by The Associated Press, these emails were part of a broader notification process affecting staff across HHS. An FDA employee shared the message on condition of anonymity due to internal confidentiality rules.
In total, 82,000 employees nationwide are watching for termination notices, as the agency prepares for what is shaping up to be the largest workforce reduction in its history.
Kennedy, who has been in office just over a month, has criticized the HHS as a “sprawling bureaucracy” and cited its $1.7 trillion annual budget as failing to yield tangible improvements in the nation’s health.
His restructuring plan includes merging entire agencies—such as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration—into a new umbrella agency: the Administration for a Healthy America.
The rationale behind the cuts has raised questions about decision-making processes within the department.
One would hope that as they made these cuts, they really did a deep dive,” said Anand Parekh, former HHS deputy assistant secretary and now chief medical adviser at the Bipartisan Policy Center.
It’s not quite clear from a transparency perspective how they got from where they were to here.
Infectious Disease Programs Face Operational Standstill
On Friday, multiple staff members from the Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy were placed on administrative leave. The office, which plays a central role in managing national responses to HIV/AIDS and emerging pathogens, was largely emptied, according to several current and former federal officials.
Some employees posted updates on LinkedIn, while an external expert familiar with the office confirmed that an email had been sent informing collaborators that all staff had been asked to leave.
The move has resulted in the cancellation of several committee meetings, including those of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee.
It puts a number of important efforts to improve the health of Americans at risk,” said Dr. Robert H. Hopkins Jr., former chair of that committee.
An HHS spokesperson stated that the office is not being closed but that its work is being consolidated to eliminate redundancies.
Layoffs and Minority Health Site Disappear Amid Wider Program Cuts
As of Monday, the website for the Office of Minority Health displayed a message saying the page “does not exist.” No formal announcement was made regarding the status of the office or its future under the new HHS structure.
Beyond the federal workforce, state and local health departments are beginning to feel the impact of funding withdrawals. Last week, HHS moved to retract over $11 billion in COVID-19-related funding, which is now forcing local jurisdictions to reassess their staffing.
According to Lori Tremmel Freeman, CEO of the National Association of County and City Health Officials, some departments are eliminating positions immediately.
“Some of them overnight, some of them are already gone,” Freeman said.
She noted that the speed and scale of the cuts vary widely but are already being felt in numerous localities.
